Skipping medical care amid coronavirus a troubling pandemic byproduct

Almost half of American adults delayed or skipped medical care amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to data released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll.

Since March, hospitals nationwide postponed or canceled non-emergency surgeries and elective procedures. Concerns among medical staff in emergency rooms grew in the last several months as far fewer patients rushed in due to strokes and heart attacks, possibly due to fear of infection. Some primary care practices closed amid the crisis, making it difficult for patients to receive non-coronavirus medical care.

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Of the 48 percent of adults who skipped medical care, 11 percent reported a worsening in their or a family member’s condition, according to the data. Health care systems in the U.S. are creeping toward reopening of non-emergency procedures however, and among poll participants who deferred care, almost all say they expect to receive the delayed care — with 68 percent reporting to get care within the next three months.

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Though almost half of adults said they or a member of their household deferred medical care due to the ongoing crisis, the majority of adults (86 percent) said their physical health has "stayed about the same" since the onset of the outbreak.

Furthermore, a small portion of adults (6 percent) said their physical health has improved and a similar share said their physical health has gotten worse (8 percent) since the coronavirus outbreak began in the U.S.