Nearly half of adults (48%) say they or someone in their household have postponed or skipped medical care due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Impact of Coronavirus on Personal Health,Economic and Food Security, and Medicaid

Key Findings:

• Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Americans are deferring medical care. Nearly half of adults (48%) say they or someone in their household have postponed or skipped medical care due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, as stay-at-home restrictions ease, most (68% of those who delayed care, or 32% of all adults) expect to get the delayed care in the next three months.
• About four in ten U.S. adults (39%) say worry or stress related to coronavirus has had a negative impact on their mental health, including 12% who say it has had a “major” impact. This is down slightly from early April when 45% reported a negative mental health impact. Yet, women continue to be more likely than men to say it is has negatively impacted their mental health (46% vs 33%) and urban (46%) and suburban (38%) residents are more likely than those in rural areas (28%) to say coronavirus has had a negative impact on their mental health. Among adults in households that experienced income or job loss due to the coronavirus outbreak (who make up one-third of adults overall), 46% say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their mental health.
• Three in ten adults (31%) say they have fallen behind in paying bills or had problems affording household expenses like food or health insurance coverage since February due to the coronavirus outbreak. Additionally, one in four Americans (26%) say they or someone in their household have skipped meals or relied on charity or government food programs since February, including 16% who say this was due to the impact of coronavirus on their finances. The share who say they have skipped meals or relied on charity or government food programs due to coronavirus is higher among those in households that have lost a job or income due to coronavirus (30%) and among Black adults (30%) and Latinos (26%).
• As states consider spending cuts to address budget shortfalls caused or exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, it appears that many potential cuts will be unpopular among the public. At least three-quarters of adults oppose decreasing spending on K-12 public education (80%), police and safety (75%), and Medicaid (74%). Moreover, majorities oppose cutting spending on social services (60%), higher education (55%), prisons and jails (54%), and environmental protection (53%). Transportation is the only area which garners majority support for state budget cuts. Majorities of Democrats (85%), independents (73%), and Republicans (62%) oppose their state government decreasing spending on Medicaid.
• At a time when many newly unemployed Americans may turn to Medicaid for health insurance coverage, a majority of adults (55%) say the Medicaid program is personally important to them and their families and about one in four adults (23%) who are not currently on Medicaid say it is likely they or a family member will turn to Medicaid for health insurance in the next year. This share rises to 31% among those who lost income or whose spouse lost income due to the coronavirus outbreak. Two-thirds of adults in states that have not expanded Medicaid say their state should expand the program, including seven in ten adults (72%) in those states whose household experienced a job or income loss due to coronavirus…..more here

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