Half of Americans put off going to the doctor or dentists for a procedure they need because they're afraid of the bill, new research suggests.
But the strategy might not pay off.
If a problem worsens and you end up in the ER for it, the average emergency medical bill exceeds $12,000, the new survey, conducted by OnePoll, found.
And worse yet, most Americans don't have any money set aside in case of such emergencies.
The new study paints a bleak picture of Americans caught between high medical bills and low incomes to put away for a rainy day.
Standard medical and dental care is so expensive in the US that one in two Americans puts off procedures they know they need, raising risks that they'll need emergency care, which costs an average of $12,000 before insurance, a new survey found
Being well in the US is expensive.
Health care is a $4 trillion industry in the US, a value equivalent to some of the world's largest economies.
The average American spent $4,928 on health care in 2017, whether or not they could afford it.
And being unable to afford medical or dental care - or a at least afraid of being unable to afford it - drives half of all Americans to simply put of getting the procedures, diagnostics and exams they need, the new research found.
To doctors' minds, it's about the worst thing you can do for your health.
Preventive measures and early treatment are the tried and true ways to avoid chronic disease and early death, but for many, that's just not financially possible.
And delaying treatment increases the chances of winding up taking an emergency trip to the hospital or dentists.
According to the survey of 2,000 Americans, commissioned by DentalPlans.com, many people aren't setting aside money in cases of these kinds of crisis events, either.
Just under half of Americans (47 percent) said they didn't have any savings at the ready to cover unexpected medical or dental costs.
But that
