The claim is misleading because the reported 92% figure refers to adults who allegedly delayed or abandoned some form of medical care due to cost, not specifically those who skipped going to the doctor.
Misleading
92% of Americans have skipped going to the doctor because it’s too expensive.
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans are skipping medical care because of the cost
Source: cnbc.com
At a glance
Verified August 13, 2026Key Evidence
Yahoo News attributes the 92% figure to a survey of 1,507 U.S. Adults and describes the behavior as delaying or abandoning medical care, not exclusively skipping doctor visits.
WION and social-media posts repeat the 92% statistic but use broader or less precise wording.
Other supplied sources report lower figures, including 22%, 42%, and 44%, for more specific or time-limited measures of skipped care.
The reporting
What the Evidence Shows
The available sources trace the 92% statistic primarily to a survey of 1,507 U.S. Adults reportedly conducted by financial-services company JG Wentworth. Yahoo News describes the result as 92% having delayed or abandoned medical care because of cost. WION and several social-media posts repeat the same figure, but their wording sometimes broadens or changes the claim to say that 92% of adults do not go to a doctor, which is not equivalent to the underlying description.
The distinction is material:
• "Delayed or abandoned medical care" could include doctor visits, prescriptions, screenings, vaccinations, laboratory tests, or other services.
- The submitted claim says that 92% specifically skipped going to the doctor, which implies a narrower and more definitive behavior.
- The wording also does not establish the survey period, sampling methodology, or whether respondents had ever delayed care during a specified timeframe.
Other figures in the provided sources are substantially lower and measure different populations or behaviors. CNBC reported in 2020 that 22% of Americans had avoided some type of medical care because of expense during the preceding year. Nasdaq cited a MyVision.org survey in which 42% skipped a medical appointment because of cost, while the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics reported a 44% figure for people who did not see a physician when sick or injured. Quora mentions a 26% estimate, but it is not a reliable primary source and provides no adequate documentation in the supplied material.
These figures are not necessarily directly contradictory because the surveys may differ in wording, timeframe, sample, and definition of medical care. However, they show why the 92% number should not be presented as a general estimate of Americans who skipped doctor visits. Based on the supplied evidence, the most supportable version is that one recent survey reportedly found 92% of respondents had delayed or abandoned some medical care because of cost.
Primary trail
Verified Sources10
Open source