40% of Americans delaying healthcare due to pandemic
Despite healthcare providers reopening their offices, 40% of Americans say they are still delaying medical care due to the pandemic and risk of contracting the virus.
Healthcare offices temporarily shut down in-office visits in March to reduce the spread of the virus but have since begun reopening, with the encouragement of the Trump administration. Americans seem to be wary of returning to providers for routine care as the number of cases of COVID-19 in the nation surges past 2.4 million as of June 26.
Overall, 40% of Americans are delaying medical care, according to a survey from ValuePenguin, but not all states are seeing the same response from residents. To rank the states and evaluate delayed medical care, ValuePenguin analyzed survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau collected between April 23 and May 26 and compared the change over time. Survey participants were asked if they had delayed getting medical care in the last four weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Across all states, the proportion of individuals delaying medical care ranges from approximately 31% in Delaware to 51% in Maine,” the survey reads.
Namely, Mississippi, Maine, Indiana, Louisiana and North Carolina had the highest increases in rates of Americans delaying medical care, according to ValuePenguin. Compared to May, those states saw an average increase of 9.2% in delayed care.
On the flip side, other states, including Maryland, Delaware, South Dakota, Utah and Washington, D.C., are seeing an average increase of 4.7% in return to care.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."