Enlarge (credit: health.mil)

The percentage of American adults who say they skipped medical care due to costs rose significantly last year, hitting 28 percent. That’s up from 24 percent in 2021 and 23 percent in 2020, according to a survey out this week from the Federal Reserve titled Economic Well-Being of US Households in 2022.

The percentage of people skipping medical care due to money woes is now at the highest point since 2014, when the country was on a downward slide as the Affordable Care Act came into full effect, offering affordable health insurance options to all Americans. The percentage of Americans reporting skipped medical care due to costs in 2013 was 32 percent, then 31 percent in 2014, and down to 27 percent in 2015.

The Federal Reserve’s Survey reported that people without health insurance were significantly more likely to skip medical care due to costs than those with insurance in 2022—42 percent of uninsured said they missed care because they couldn’t afford it, versus 26 percent of insured adults who said the same.