Last year was a grim one for people in California and elsewhere who needed to see a doctor. According to Gallup, nearly four in 10 Americans said they or a family member postponed medical treatment in 2022 because of the cost.
That figure, 38%, was far and away the highest in the 22 years that the global analytics firm has been polling on the question. It was up 12 points over the year before. But Gallup’s consumer feedback really cut to the bone when it got specific: More than a quarter of the postponed treatments were for a “very” or “somewhat” serious condition. And poor people, young people and women were the most likely to report delaying care.
