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QuickStats: Estimated Percentage* of Persons Who Delayed or Did
Not Receive Medical Care During the Preceding Year Because of Cost,
by Respondent-Assessed Health
Status --- National Health Interview
Survey, United States, 2005
* Estimates are age adjusted using the 2000 projected U.S. population as the standard population and using five age groups: 0--11 years, 12--17 years, 18--44
years, 45--64 years, and >65 years. Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.
Based on responses to the following questions: "During the past 12 months, has [person] delayed seeking medical care because of worry about the cost?"
and "During the past 12 months was there any time when [person] needed medical care but did not get it because [person] could not afford it?" Both
questions exclude dental care. Respondents were asked to answer regarding themselves and other family members living in the same household. Health status data
were obtained by asking respondents to assess their own health and that of family members living in the same household as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor.
§ 95% confidence interval.
In 2005, approximately 7% of persons (21.7 million) delayed medical care during the preceding year because of
worry about the cost, and another 5% (15.2 million) did not receive needed medical care because they could not afford it.
Persons whose health was assessed as fair or poor were four to five times as likely as persons whose health was assessed as excellent
or very good to delay or not receive needed medical care because of cost.
SOURCE: Adams PF, Dey, AN, Vickerie JL. Summary health statistics for the U.S. population: National Health
Inteview Survey, 2005. Vital Health Stat 2007;10(233). Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_233.pdf.
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