Survey: More Than Half of Americans Have Avoided Medical Care Due To Cost

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Nov 22, 2019, 00:01 ET

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- If there is one thing a majority of Americans can agree on, it's that healthcare costs are too expensive and they want upfront pricing. HealthPocket, a free information source designed to help consumers find medical coverage today released results of a pulse survey which found that 85% of U.S. adults think that healthcare costs in general are too high. Underscoring that point, 51% of those surveyed have avoided medical care due to lack of ability to pay.

The survey found that prices are a priority, with 91% saying that costs for medical services should be as readily available as prices are on a restaurant menu. In fact, 78% have been afraid to go to the hospital because of cost, with an overwhelming majority (96%) saying that hospitals should be upfront about the cost before treatment. Given the option, 86% said they would compare prices before going to the hospital if prices were posted online.

Four in ten (41%) of those surveyed have been unable to pay a medical bill at some point. Meanwhile, nearly 30% currently have medical debt. When given an option on how medical bills that can't be paid should be handled, 46% believed they should be put on a payment plan; another one in four (25%) said that the government should pay the doctor or hospital; 13% said the debt should just be forgiven; and 12% said volunteer work should be done in exchange for a discount.

The survey also revealed that three in four (73%) Americans don't think that someone should have to declare bankruptcy over unpaid medical bills. When asked if unpaid medical bills should impact one's credit score, a majority (77%) said no. When asked what the best fix is for our healthcare system, only 3% said to leave it as is.

Entire survey results URL: https://www.healthpocket.com/health-insurance-insights/medical-debt-in-us-2019

Some other key findings:

71% needed some kind of medical care outside of a routine wellness visit in the last year
49% have used their health insurance two or more times in the last year
11% with medical debt have considered declaring bankruptcy
47% think the government should forgive the $81 billion in past-due medical debt
51% think everyone should have the same healthcare even if they don't spend the same amount to get it

ABOUT HEALTHPOCKET: HealthPocket is a free information source designed to help consumers find medical coverage. Whether you are looking for Medicare, Medicaid or an individual health insurance plan, we will help you compare benefits and coverage, understand your out of pocket healthcare costs and help you to find the right healthcare option. We receive our data from government, non-profit, and private sources, and you should confirm key provisions of your coverage with your selected health plan. If you select an individual plan presented on our site, you will be directed (via a click or a call) to one of our partners who can help you with your application. Our website is not a health insurance agency and not affiliated with and does not represent or endorse any health plan. HealthPocket, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings LLC. (NASDAQ: HIIQ)

METHODOLOGY:The results above were gathered through an online poll of 1,100 Americans between the ages of 18-64. The poll was conducted in November 2019 and was weighted to get representative samples from each state based on population.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:HealthPocket, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based technology company and wholly owned subsidiary of Health Plan Intermediaries Holdings LLC, part of the Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. family companies (NASDAQ: HIIQ). This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical fact, and may include statements relating to goals, plans and projections regarding new markets, products, services, growth strategies, anticipated trends in our business and anticipated changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and laws. Forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, expectations and beliefs are generally identifiable by use of words "may," "might," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue," or similar expressions and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, our ability to maintain relationships and develop new relationships with health insurance carriers and distributors, our ability to retain our members, the demand for our products, the amount of commissions paid to us or changes in health insurance plan pricing practices, our ability to integrate our acquisitions, competition, changes and developments in the United States health insurance system and laws, and our ability to adapt to them, the ability to maintain and enhance our name recognition, difficulties arising from acquisitions or other strategic transactions, and our ability to build the necessary infrastructure and processes to maintain effective controls over financial reporting. These and other risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements are discussed in HIIQ's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as well as other documents that may be filed by HIIQ from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this press release is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. You should not rely on any forward-looking statement as representing our views in the future. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

For More Information:

Investor Contact:
Westwicke
Bob East
Jordan Kohnstam
Asher Dewhurst
(443) 213-0500
[email protected]

Media Contact:
Westwicke PR
Sean Leous
(646) 677-1839
[email protected]

SOURCE HealthPocket