More than one in five US adults have problems paying their medical expenses, opting to forgo treatment or fill prescriptions, a new government report shows.
A report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 20.3 percent of US adults under the age of 65 – 54.2 million people – had trouble paying health bills during the first half of 2012.
The report said that an individual who was uninsured or with public insurance was twice as likely to experience trouble paying medical bills than someone with private medical insurance.
The report highlighted the most common medical expenses including medication, equipment, home care, or trips to doctors, dentists, hospitals and therapists.
Previous studies revealed that the high cost of medical care discourages people from obtaining treatment, which worsens their health over time.
The survey, conducted between January 2011 and June 2012, was based on nationwide in-person interviews with 155,321 American adults.
The new report came amid plans to implement the Affordable Care Act in January 2014, which requires insurance for all Americans.
The US has the costliest health care system in the world when it comes to several conditions including having a baby, heart surgery, hospital stay and basic doctor care, according to the International Federation of Health Plans.
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This article originally appeared on: Press TV