Those with chronic health conditions report having a significantly harder time accessing health care specifically because of costs. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of adults with a chronic health problem say health care is their biggest monthly expense after mortgage or rent payments, as compared to 14% of healthier adults. Those with chronic conditions are more likely than their healthy counterparts to report not having enough money to pay for medical care in the past year (35% vs. 22%), and are more likely than healthy adults to report overdue medical bills (29% vs. 16%). Nearly four in ten of those with chronic conditions (38%) report they or someone in their household has skipped medical treatment, cut pills, or didn’t fill a prescription because of the cost, compared to about two in ten (22%) healthier adults.
