Survey: 1 in 3 Americans Had Trouble Paying Medical Bills in 2007

A CBS survey finds more than 80 million Americans are cutting back their healthcare visits to doctors and nearly 1 in 3 Americans had trouble paying their medical bills.

The failing U.S. economy is forcing many Americans to cut back on their healthcare, skipping visits to doctors and treating themselves because of high medical costs. Gabrielle Revere is one of them; she had strep throat but didn’t visit a doctor. Revere explained her reason to Dr. Jon LaPook, CBS News's medical correspondent:

"Is it worth the $300 to go into the doctor's office, to tell me I have strep, and then get a prescription filled that my health insurance doesn't cover for another $50?"

The CBS survey found 36 per cent of Americans are postponing treatments or tests that need to be done and 27 per cent don’t fill their prescriptions because of cost. Many patients also miss appointments, screenings and medications. Another survey showed the young adults are the most affected, as nearly 70 per cent of those surveyed said they had a hard time paying medical expenses. They are also the majority group in cutting doctors visits and avoiding medications. Scott Crumpler, a young adult, told Dr. Jon LaPook, "I haven't had a physical or any kind of checkup in a long time." Skipping treatments and medicine may save money, but is not good for a person's general health. Missing appointments or not filling prescriptions can actually have serious consequences according to healthcare professionals. Dr. Sherry Glied of Columbia University:

"When people cut back on preventive care on the monitoring and care of chronic illnesses, they are really cutting back on their own lives, on the health and quality of their lives in the long run."

Revere knows she is gambling with her health but said she has no choice.