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News Release
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Poll: Nearly Half of the Public Say
They or a Family Member Skipped or Delayed Care Due to Coronavirus, But Most
Plan to Get Care in the Coming Months
Most Say
Their Physical Health has Not Been Affected, But Many Say Their Mental Health
Is Worse
Nearly One
in Four Expect a Family Member to Turn to Medicaid in the Coming Year, and
Majorities across Party Lines Oppose Medicaid Cuts to Address State Budget
Shortfalls
Amid
the threat of coronavirus, nearly half (48%) of Americans say someone in
their family has skipped or delayed getting some type of medical care due to
the pandemic, the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll finds. This includes
11% who say the person’s condition worsened due to the missed care.
The
findings come as many states move to relax some restrictions on businesses,
including health care providers, aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19,
which has already caused about 100,000 deaths nationwide.
Among
those who say they or a family member skipped care, most say they expect to
get the care within the next three months (68% of the group, or 32% of all
adults). Few say they do not expect to get the care for at least a year or at
all.
“Most
of those who have put off care due to coronavirus expect to get it soon,” KFF
President and CEO Drew Altman said. “If they do, health care utilization may
bounce back more quickly than the rest of the economy.”
Most
adults (86%) say their physical health has stayed about the same since the
outbreak began, but the crisis continues to take a toll on people’s mental
health. Four in 10 adults (39%) this month say worry and stress related to
coronavirus has had a negative impact on their mental health. This includes
one in eight (12%) who say it has had a “major” negative impact, a slight dip
from six weeks ago (19%).
Majorities
across Party Lines Oppose Cuts to Medicaid Spending to Address State Budget
Shortfalls
With
unemployment rising and employer coverage at risk, nearly one in four (23%)
adults who are not currently covered by Medicaid also say they or a family
member likely will turn to the program in the next year. This includes about
three in 10 (31%) of those who have lost a job or income recently due to
coronavirus.
Three-quarters
(74%) of the public say they would oppose state Medicaid cuts to address
budget shortfalls spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn,
while a quarter (24%) say they would favor them. Most Democrats (85%),
independents (73%), and Republicans (62%) say they oppose decreasing Medicaid
spending.
Majorities
across partisan identification also say they would oppose cuts to balance
their state’s budget affecting public schools, police and public safety, and
jails and prisons. Most across parties would support cuts to transportation
spending, while partisans are split over cuts to higher education, social
services and environmental protection with majorities of Democrats opposing
all of these cuts.
Most
states have expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act to
cover low-income childless adults. In the 14 states that haven’t, two-thirds
(66%) of residents say they favor their state expanding Medicaid to cover
more low-income uninsured people, while one-third (32%) want to keep Medicaid
as it is today.
Economic
Turmoil is Making it Harder for Many to Pay Bills and Afford Routine Expenses
The
poll also examines the crisis’ economic impact on families. Overall about
three in 10 (31%) people report at least some difficulties paying their bills
or affording routine expenses because of coronavirus.
This
includes about one in six who say they have fallen behind in paying credit
card or other bills (18%), have had problems paying their utilities (17%), or
fallen behind in paying their rent or mortgage (15%). About one in ten report
problems paying for food (13%), paying medical bills (11%), affording health
coverage (9%), or paying for prescription drugs (8%).
Among
those living in households that experienced a job or income loss due to
coronavirus (who make up one-third of all adults), about half (49%) report at
least one of those difficulties paying household expenses.
In
addition, one in four (26%) Americans also say they or someone in their
household has skipped meals or relied on charity or government programs to
get enough to eat. Most of those skipping meals or relying on assistance
attribute their need to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on their
financial situation (59%, or 16% of the overall public). A smaller share
(39%, or 10% of the overall public) say they were already experiencing
problems affording food before the outbreak.
Those
most likely to struggle with getting enough food specifically because of
coronavirus include those in families who have lost a job or income (30%), as
well as Blacks (30%) and Hispanics (26%).
Views of
Medicare-for-all, a Public Option, and the ACA Largely Unchanged since
Coronavirus
While
the COVID-19 crisis has renewed attention on health coverage and cost issues,
it has had little impact on the public’s views toward two main Democratic
approaches to expanding coverage debated during the 2020 primary season –
Medicare-for-all, championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, and a voluntary “public
option” plan, promoted by former Vice President Joe Biden.
While
majorities of the public support both approaches, more people continue to say
they favor a public option (68%) than say they favor Medicare-for-all (56%) –
the same shares that favored each proposal in January before coronavirus became
a major concern in the U.S.
About
half the public (51%) now holds favorable views toward the Affordable Care
Act, while 41% hold unfavorable views – similar to the results in January
(53% favorable, 39% unfavorable).
Designed
and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF, the poll was conducted May
13-18 among a nationally representative random digit dial telephone sample of
1,189 adults. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline
(283) and cell phone (906). The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3
percentage points for the full sample. For results based on subgroups, the
margin of sampling error may be higher.
Filling
the need for trusted information on national health issues, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation)
is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Poll: Nearly Half of the Public Say They or a Family Member Skipped or Delayed Care Due to Coronavirus, But Most Plan to Get Care in the Coming Months
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