conducted by West Health and Gallup found that in the prior six months, high health care prices drove 38% of American adults — nearly 100 million people — to delay or skip treatment and cut back on driving, utilities, and food or borrow money to pay medical bills.
Ultimately, how people set their health priorities is influenced by their ability to pay for medications, doctor visits, gym memberships, and even healthy food. Rising costs for normal day-to-day necessities like transportation and housing mean that for many, there isn’t as much money left over to take care of their health.
In February 2021 the National Bureau of Economic Research examined how a $10 price increase on prescription drugs would impact health outcomes. They discovered drug price increases are truly a matter of life and death. The $10 increase resulted in a sharp 33% increase in deaths as patients cut back on costly medications for heart disease, hypertension, asthma, and diabetes.
Evidence shows that employees tend to forget about — or be completely unaware of — their complete benefits packages, including $0-copay preventive care like wellness visits and flu shots. Back in 2012, a Health Affairs
The fact you ask that question proves just how out of touch you are.