Almost Half of Adults in Families Losing Work During the Pandemic Avoided Health Care Because of Costs or COVID-19 Concerns

This report uses new data from the first wave of the Urban Institute’s Coronavirus Tracking Survey to examine health care affordability problems and avoidance of care due to concerns about exposure to the novel coronavirus during the pandemic, highlighting the experiences of adults in families who have lost work or work-related income.

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn are posing new challenges for families seeking health care. Not only have many providers rescheduled patient visits or closed their practices because of the pandemic, but patients have also shied away from seeing their regular physicians.