Earnin Survey Shows Majority of Americans Are Delaying Medical Care

More than half of U.S. adults have put off treatment in the past 12 months because they could not afford it

Delayed Medical Care by Household Income (Graphic: Business Wire)

PALO ALTO, Calif.--()--Earnin, an app that allows anyone with a job and a bank account to get paid the minute they leave work, today released the results from a pair of September 2018 surveys. One was conducted online among over 2,000 U.S. adults by The Harris Poll on Earnin’s behalf, for the other, Earnin polled their users, many of which live paycheck to paycheck.

The analysis, Waiting to Feel Better: Survey Reveals Cost Delays Timely Care, examines how healthcare affordability is affecting the rate at which Americans are getting the medical attention they need. The report finds that:

  • More than half of Americans (54 percent) have delayed medical care for themselves in the past 12 months because they could not afford it. The three most delayed types of care are dental/orthodontic work, eye care, and annual exams.
  • Among people who have delayed care in the past 12 months, 55 percent delayed dental/orthodontic work, 43 percent delayed eye care, and 30 percent delayed annual exams.
  • Nearly one-quarter of Americans (23 percent) have put off getting medical care for more than one year because they could not afford it. Among those whose household is living paycheck to paycheck or not making enough to get by, the rate of this extremely delayed care averages 36 percent.
  • Nearly half of Americans (49 percent) say their health tends to take a back seat to other financial obligations.

“We have a healthcare system that forces many to choose subsistence at the expense of their future well being,” said Earnin Economist Peter Griffin. “Healthcare often gets put the back burner when money is tight and skipping preventative care can have detrimental long-term effects. Americans are tough, but perceived resiliency is costing all of us greatly.”

For the full Earnin Waiting to Feel Better: Survey Reveals Cost Delays Timely Care analysis, please visit the Earnin Data Blog.

To learn about Earnin and how we are building a financial system that works for people, please visit www.earnin.com.

Methodology

The primary source of data about national rates comes from a survey conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Earnin from September 4-6, 2018 among 2,015 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample, and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. Additionally, this survey was reproduced and provided to a random sample of new Earnin customers from September 10-19, 2018 for the purpose of being able to compare new Earnin customers with Americans in general.

About Earnin

Earnin is the new, faster way to get your paycheck. Unlike traditional, rigid paychecks that only show up every two weeks, Earnin gives you access to your pay as you earn it -- any time, any day, right from your smartphone. Earnin charges no fee or interest for using the service: instead, with each transaction users are given the opportunity to pay what they believe is fair. Launched in 2014, Earnin is driving consumer-empowered finance through mobile technology by breaking open more than $1 trillion held up in America's pay cycle. Current funding partners include Andreessen Horowitz, Matrix Partners, Ribbit Capital, Felicis Ventures, March Capital Partners, Trinity Ventures, Thrive Capital, and Camp One Ventures. For more information please visit www.Earnin.com.

Contacts

Earnin
Dave Claffey, 209-975-7229
press@earnin.com

Contacts

Earnin
Dave Claffey, 209-975-7229
press@earnin.com