In 2023, 27% of American adults skipped some form of medical treatment because they couldn’t afford it, according to the Federal Reserve. This is lower than the 32% who avoided care in 2013, when data collection began, but ties with 2015 and 2017 as the fourth-highest year on record.
The probability of declining medical care seems to correlate with income: 42% of people with a family income under $25,000 skipped some medical treatment in 2023, compared to 12% of people with incomes over $100,000.
