Healthcare keeps getting more expensive. And for many Americans choosing between covering their bills or getting care, the choice is clear: Skip the doctor to pay the debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some 26% of adults with debt have skipped or delayed care to make a debt payment, according to Accredited Debt Relief’s 2026 Debt Impact Survey<\/a> of 2,000 U.S. adults carrying debt. The finding suggests that for many households, what they owe has begun to shape a decision most people would rather not have to weigh: whether they can afford to seek care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this choice can be risky. Delaying care to cover a bill can push a manageable condition toward a more serious and more expensive one: Nearly one in five adults (18%) said their health got worse after skipping or delaying care, according to KFF<\/a>. And the debt itself carries a mental toll that compounds the strain. Both trace back to the same root: the rising cost of care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n