WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2019) Tens of millions of Americans lost a relative or friend within the past five years because they could not afford medical treatment, a Gallup survey revealed on Tuesday.
"More than 13% of American adults - or about 34 million people - report knowing of at least one friend or family member in the past five years who died after not receiving needed medical treatment because they were unable to pay for it," a statement accompanying the survey said.
Another 58 million adults report that they have been unable to pay for needed drugs in the past year, reflecting a lack of progress by the Trump administration in keeping drug costs in check, the report added.
Nonwhites, lower-income households, and those younger than 45 are all more likely to know someone who died because the medical costs were too high, the survey said.
The Gallup report noted that the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a plan that would let the Federal government negotiate prices of certain drugs, including insulin products and single-source brand-name drugs with no generic competition.
A separate proposal in the Senate would cap senior citizens' out-of-pocket costs by requiring manufacturers to reimburse Medicare if drug prices rise more than the inflation rate, according to the report.
The report is based on surveys with 1,099 US Adults in all 50 states and Washington in the final two weeks of September.
