Share of older adults forgoing health care due to cost worldwide 2021

In 2021, older adults in the United States were more likely than comparable countries to forgo a doctor's visit or medical tests/treatment due to cost. The difference between the U.S. and other countries is not as pronounced among elderlies because of the federal Medicare program. However, the issue of affordability of health care is much worse among adults under 65 years in the U.S. as it is the only one among the 11 surveyed countries without universal health insurance. This statistic presents the percentage of adults aged 65 and older who skipped doctor visit or medical test/treatment due to cost in the past year in select high-income countries in 2021.