The percentage of Americans who forgo needed medical care due to cost has dropped significantly since the 2010 federal health law passed, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC-run National Health Interview Survey found that 4.5 percent of Americans couldn’t afford needed medical care in 2015, compared with 6.9 percent in 2009 and 2010. The metric hit a peak in those two years and has been declining steadily since, coinciding with the passage of the 2010 federal health overhaul.
The CDC report can be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db249.pdf.