Washington, DC – From skipping meals to rationing medications to cutting back on utilities, millions of Americans are having to sacrifice basic essentials to afford health care, and Republicans’ cuts are only going to make it worse. One-third of adults have cut back on daily expenses to afford health care over the prior year according to polling by West Health-Gallup Center.
The poll shows just how unaffordable health care has become for Americans. Despite this, congressional Republicans have repeatedly voted to drive up costs even more and put working Americans’ coverage at risk. Republicans in Congress voted for the largest health care cuts in history and allowed vital health care tax credits to expire, all so they could fund even more tax breaks for billionaires. Their policies have put an estimated 15 million Americans at risk of losing health coverage, and left millions of families having to forgo one essential just to afford another.
From CNN, Millions of Americans are skipping meals or cutting back on utilities to afford health care:
Forgoing food. Cutting back on utilities. Driving less. Borrowing money.
These are the sacrifices that tens of millions of people are making to afford their health care expenses, according to a West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America survey released Thursday.
Roughly one-third of respondents – equivalent to more than 82 million Americans – said they have had to cut back on at least one daily living expense to cover their health care bills, according to the survey of nearly 20,000 adults, which was conducted from June through August.
From NBC News, Americans ration medicine and postpone retirement to afford health care, polls find:
About 1 in 3 U.S. adults say they’ve made trade-offs to afford health care in the past year, including rationing or skipping medications or borrowing money, according to a poll from West Health-Gallup.
A second survey from the group found nearly 1 in 10 adults say they’ve postponed retirement because of health care costs. Others reported delaying a job change, buying a home or having a child.
“Across the country, people are seeing their health care costs soar because Republicans in Congress chose tax breaks for billionaires over health care for working families. Millions are having to make unfathomable choices to be able to afford care,” said Unrig Our Economy Campaign Director Leor Tal. “No one should have to sacrifice essentials just to be able to go to the doctor. But that’s exactly what congressional Republicans are forcing them to do.”
To learn more about the campaign, visit UnrigOurEconomy.com or contact press@unrigoureconomy.com
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About Unrig Our Economy
Unrig Our Economy is a national campaign to fix the rules of our economy to make it work for working people. We know that when the middle class does well, all of us do well — which is why we’re fighting on behalf of working Americans and holding corporations, their wealthy executives, and the politicians who enable them accountable.