Americans avoiding health care in pandemic over cost concerns

According to a new study, 14% of Americans with COVID-19 symptoms did not seek medical care because of worries about cost.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted Americans’ perceptions of health care, and not for the better, according to a new survey.

Nearly half of Americans say the pandemic has worsened their perceptions of the U.S. health care system, with many describing it as "broken" or "expensive," according to the West Health-Gallup survey released this week, the largest survey conducted on U.S. health care since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The high price of health care was a major factor, with a staggering one-third of Americans intentionally delaying or declining medical care over cost concerns.

In the midst of a pandemic, 14% of people with COVID-19 symptoms reported that they didn't seek medical care because they worried they wouldn’t be able to afford it, a Gallup poll from April 2020 found.