Survey: More Californians Struggling With Healthcare Costs
A new survey report conducted by the California Health Care Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago confirms the findings of a recent Commonwealth Fund report: that median incomes have not kept pace with rising healthcare costs and deductibles.
One in four Californians saying they have struggled to pay at least one medical bill in the past 12 months — up from 20 percent last year — and 49 percent saying they have postponed care due to cost, according to the newly released statewide survey. Of those who postponed care, the survey finds, 47 percent report their health condition worsened as a result, up from 41 percent last year.
The Commonwealth Fund report found that in nearly half of states, middle-income households faced average deductibles that left them underinsured and exposed to high out-of-pocket costs. That’s up from only one state in 2010.
More than 8 in 10 Californians say it is “extremely” or “very” important for the California governor and legislature to work on “making healthcare more affordable” in the coming year — a level of support higher than several other noteworthy issues, from improving public education and combating climate change to addressing racial inequality.
The survey conducted Sept. 27 through Nov. 17, 2021, among a random representative sample of 1,681 adults age 18 and older living in California. The annual poll captures Californians’ views on healthcare affordability, housing and homelessness, experiences with healthcare, healthcare equity, and COVID-19.
“The latest numbers show that the high cost of healthcare and the high cost of housing are both taking a toll on the health of Californians,” says Kristof Stremikis, director of Market Analysis and Insight at the California Health Care Foundation, in a statement. “The rising cost of medical care is causing millions of Californians — especially people with lower incomes and communities of color — to postpone care and experience worse health outcomes as a result. Californians are clear they want this problem to be addressed.”
While cost issues are a rising concern for all Californians, they have become particularly serious for lower-income households: Forty-three percent of Californians with lower incomes report having problems paying for at least one medical bill, an increase from 32 percent compared to last year. More than 6 in 10 Californians overall worry about unexpected medical bills (63 percent) and out-of-pocket healthcare costs (60 percent), and half of Californians are worried about affording monthly health insurance premiums (51 percent) and prescription drugs (49 percent). By comparison, 52 percent of Californians said they were worried about gas costs, and 50 percent worry about the cost of their rent or mortgage.
Nearly one in five Californians (17 percent) who report trying to make an appointment for physical healthcare say it was “very” or “somewhat” difficult to find a provider who took their insurance. Latinx Californians (21 percent) are twice as likely as White Californians (11 percent) to report difficulty, and those with lower incomes (30 percent) are more likely than those with higher incomes (12 percent) to report that it was difficult to find a physical healthcare provider who took their insurance.
Although it was conducted before the Omicron surge, this year’s survey finds COVID-19 continues to be a major concern for Californians, with 56 percent saying their health has been negatively impacted by the stress and anxiety caused by the pandemic. One in 10 Californians says the pandemic has worsened their chronic health conditions.