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QuickStats: Percentage* of Families That Did Not Get Needed Medical Care Because of Cost,† by Poverty Status§ — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2013 and 2018
Weekly / June 12, 2020 / 69(23);727
* With 95% confidence intervals shown by error bars.
† Household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population were conducted using the National Health Interview Survey Family component. Estimates were derived from answers to the question “During the past 12 months, was there any time when (you/someone in the family) needed medical care, but did not get it because (you/the family) couldn’t afford it?”
§ Poverty status, based on family income and family size, using the U.S. Census Bureau’s poverty thresholds. “Poor” families are defined as those with incomes below the poverty threshold; “near poor” families have incomes of 100% to <200% of the poverty threshold; and “not poor” families have incomes of ≥200% of the poverty threshold.
The percentage of all families that did not get needed medical care because of cost in the past 12 months decreased from 12.1% in 2013 to 9.7% 2018. From 2013 to 2018, the percentage of poor families that did not get medical care decreased (22.7% to 17.3%) as did the percentage of near-poor families (20.4% to 16.0%); no significant change occurred for not-poor families (7.1% and 6.6%). In 2013 and 2018, the percentage of families that did not get needed medical care because of cost was lowest among the not poor.
Source: National Health Interview Survey, 2013 and 2018 data. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm.
Reported by: Michael E. Martinez, MPH, MHSA, memartinez@cdc.gov, 301-458-4758; Tainya C. Clarke, PhD.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Families That Did Not Get Needed Medical Care Because of Cost, by Poverty Status — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2013 and 2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:727. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6923a4.
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