Almost half of Americans in a new poll said the coronavirus pandemic has forced them or another person they live with to either skip or defer medical care.
Key figures in the Kaiser Family Foundation survey:
- 48% said they or someone they live with have put off or skipped medical care because of COVID-19.
- 68% of those who delayed getting medical care said they will see a doctor in the next three months as virus-related restrictions are lifted.
- 11% said the medical condition they or someone they live with put off addressing with a doctor got worse.
- 39% said stress or worry because of the virus has negatively affected their mental health, with 12% saying it's had a "major" impact. In early April, 45% of Americans said the pandemic was negatively affecting their mental health.
- 31% said they've fallen behind on bills or had trouble paying for household expenses such as food or health insurance since February.
The poll was conducted among 1,189 adults aged 18 and older from May 13-18. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.