Research suggests that around 14% of people in the United States would avoid seeking treatment if they experienced the key symptoms of COVID-19.
New research conducted by the analytics firm Gallup and the nonprofit organization West Health has found 1 in 7 people in the U.S. would avoid seeking treatment for the key symptoms of COVID-19 because of concerns over cost.
The study shines a light on the U.S. healthcare system and the barriers it places on people with low incomes from accessing healthcare.
In the U.S., healthcare is generally not paid for by the state but by the individual, typically through the health insurance that many people access as a benefit of employment.
However, those out of work or working on precarious contracts may not have access to health insurance. This makes them vulnerable to significant charges if they do require healthcare.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this situation has become even starker.
According to the research, while insurance companies have agreed to waive any additional payments related to COVID-19 testing, people could still end up with out-of-pocket expenses.
Gallup conducted a representative poll of 1,017 adults, asking them two questions. The first question was, “[i]f you or a family member had a fever and a dry cough, would you avoid seeking treatment due to concerns about the cost of care?”
The second question was “[i]f you thought that you might have been infected by the coronavirus, would you avoid seeking treatment due to concerns about the cost of care?”
Gallup found that 1 in 7 people — 14% of those polled — would avoid seeking treatment if they experienced a dry cough and fever.
When the question changed to ask the respondents directly about suspected COVID-19, Gallup found that 9% of people would still avoid seeking health care due to concerns over cost.
The researchers think that uncertainty surrounding the key symptoms of COVID-19 could account for the difference between the two questions. This was evident particularly in the 18–29 year age group in which 22% would avoid care due to costs for the two key symptoms, but only 12% would avoid care when coronavirus was specifically mentioned.
Unsurprisingly, for both questions, a person’s income was a key factor in whether they would avoid seeking treatment due to worries about cost.
While only 5% of