Twice as many Americans think their healthcare is getting worse than think it's getting better
According to a Morning Consult poll sponsored by the American College of Emergency Physicians, 30% of Americans surveyed said that their healthcare coverage has gotten worse over the past year whereas only 15% said it has improved. 51% said it was generally unchanged.
Additionally 24% of Americans said they had lost access to their doctor in the last year due to changes in their insurance company's coverage network.
On the cost side, 55% of those surveyed said that their healthcare costs had increased, with 20% of Americans saying their costs had gone up "much more" according to the poll. Only 11% said they were paying less or much less according to the poll.
Perhaps most startling, the poll found that many Americans are delaying care until their condition forces them to see a doctor due to costs. 30% of those surveyed said they delayed or avoided emergency care because of the cost.
Out-of-pocket costs for healthcare have been skyrocketing, so it isn't a surprise a large number of Americans noticed a cost increase. On the other side, however, the total amount spent on healthcare in America is growing at the slowest pace in decades and the cost of premiums is also going up slower than in years past.
These concerns come on the eve of the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, exchanges. Healthcare policy and helping Americans control healthcare costs was also an issue of contention at Sunday night's second presidential debate.
The poll surveyed 2,015 registered voters from across the United States.