“You can’t say your heart. Don’t stop beating,” Scott told CNN.
But extremely high inflation and hundreds of dollars in monthly medical bills keep Scott and her husband, a maintenance worker, behind financially.
To cut costs, she stopped taking her irritable bowel medication. It costs hundreds of dollars each month, she says, because insurance doesn’t cover it.
“People will [say], I can’t help it. No, I literally can’t afford it,” Scott said, adding that stopping the meds would “make you tired, lethargic, shivering and very sick.”
Millions of Americans are facing the same brutal decisions as high inflation hits household budgets.
U.S. health care spending rose 4.5% year-on-year in June, with overall inflation rising 9.1% over the 12-month period. But with prices for food, gas, rent, and utilities skyrocketing at a much higher pace, many Americans are struggling to cover costs such as health care.
“What this leads people to do is have to make horrible trade-offs between paying for drugs or diagnostic tests, or seeing a doctor or doctor’s office, and paying for basic living expenses. gasoline, food, groceries, child care,” said Alan Balch, CEO of the Patient Advocate Foundation.
Research shows that about 1 in 4 adults are skipping medical care and medications due to rising costs. And he said 39% have major concerns about paying medical bills in the coming months.
“Inflation and its impact on healthcare are disrupting families and individuals, and we need to wake up and act,” said Tim Rush, president of WestHealth.
Libby Dancy, 71, is a case manager for an organization that helps struggling seniors in rural Virginia. However, she herself cannot afford to retire.
“Perhaps I’ll work here until I’m found lying back in my office,” Dancy said.
A three-time cancer survivor, she spends hundreds of dollars each month on essential medical care, including heart medication, respiratory therapy, and insulin. So she keeps her budget tight. She turns off the air conditioner in the summer heat and withholds allergy medication, probiotics and vitamins until payday.
“this [has] Dancy said, “You screwed me up and screwed up my system and everything.
Rising health care costs have long been an economic burden for millions of Americans, rising faster than inflation in recent decades. But now, the skyrocketing cost of other daily necessities has added to the burden.
Rising inflation pushed U.S. household debt to a record high, surpassing $16 trillion in the second quarter.
For some, the act of balancing the budget is getting harder by the day.
“I feel like I’m slowly suffocating,” said Scott. “Why do I have to choose between living and being alive?”
Source: www.cnn.com
