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Data analyzed by

State Health Compare

Percent of adults who could not get medical care when needed due to cost

Measure Overview

Forgone care (i.e., skipping needed health care) can occur for a number of reasons: Distrust of the medical system, low perceived need to seek medical care, and, for many, unaffordable costs of health care. 

Millions of Americans forgo care they need due to cost every year, which can lead to serious physical, emotional, and financial hardship as a result of missed or delayed diagnoses, worsened conditions, emergency hospitalizations, and other unforeseen circumstances. Given the potential risks associated with forgoing medical care, tracking data on this issue is a key step in understanding which populations are not getting the medical care they need due to cost barriers. This can also help to inform targeted research, programs, and outreach efforts to reduce forgone care. 

Forgone Care Due to Cost by State, Coverage Type, and More: Breakdowns and Data Source


State Health Compare provides annual, state-level estimates of adults who could not get needed medical care due to cost using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. 

Five breakdowns are available for this measure: Chronic Disease Status, Coverage Type, Education, Race/Ethnicity, and Sexual Orientation.

Generate customized graphics using this data by selecting one of the options below.

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Exploring Racial Disparities in Forgone Health Care Using State Health Compare

In this blog post, we are going to explore racial disparities in forgone health care due to cost. Using State Health Compare, we will examine forgone care data broken down by race and ethnicity. In 2023, rates of foregone care for Black adults (12.7%) and Hispanic/Latino adults (20.1%) were statistically significantly higher than the overall rate (11.6%) and the rate for Whites (8.6%). Then, we will explore racial disparities in forgone care at the state level.



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Analyzing Forgone Care by Coverage Type: New on State Health Compare

Adults with insurance coverage are less likely to forgo medical care. However, health insurance coverage’s ability to protect against unexpected costs varies both by health insurance coverage type and by state. Learn the details in this blog.