Coronavirus Concerns Led More Than 1 in 10 Nonelderly Adults to Delay or Forgo Health Care in Spring 2021

Many adults have gone without needed health care during the COVID-19 pandemic over concerns about being exposed to the novel coronavirus in hospitals, doctors' and dentists' offices, and other healthcare settings. Data from the Urban Institute’s April 2021 Health Reform Monitoring Survey show that 1 in 4 nonelderly adults (24.9 percent) reported delaying or forgoing care for this reason in the past 12 months. And more than 1 in 10 (11.0 percent) reported having this experience in the past 30 days, showing that coronavirus concerns led some adults to continue delaying or forgoing care into spring 2021. Adults with chronic health conditions were more likely than those without health conditions to report delayed or forgone care. Unmet health care needs can adversely affect health and other daily activities and could potentially worsen chronic health conditions among adults who have them.