6 in 10 Californians Say They or a Family Member Skipped or Delayed Health Care Over Cost, a 2026 Survey Found

If you’ve pushed back a dentist visit because of the bill, you’re far from alone in California.

A 2026 statewide survey found the problem reached people with insurance and people at every income level.

Here’s what Californians told the survey about skipping or delaying care over cost.

Note: This is general information, not medical or financial advice. Survey findings, coverage rules and costs are subject to change.

Survey Method and Sample

CHCF ran the survey with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, and 2,552 adults took part.

Interviews ran from October 3 to November 10, 2025.

Of those respondents, 1,316 came from a probability panel and 1,236 from a sample of home addresses.

The foundation calls it a representative, statewide survey.

CHCF published the results on February 25, 2026, and has run the survey periodically since 2019.

The survey figures below come from what people told pollsters, so you’re reading their experiences, not billing records.

Here’s how they answered, starting with the headline finding.

Skipped Care, Insured or Not

In the past 12 months, 59% of Californians said they or a family member skipped or delayed health care because of cost.

CHCF rounds that to six in 10.

The other 41% said no.

If a family member skipped care and you didn’t, the survey still counted a yes.

Among insured respondents, 57% said they or a family member skipped or delayed care, compared with 75% of uninsured respondents.

Skipped Care by Income

Seven in 10 low-income respondents (70%) said they or a family member skipped or delayed care because of cost.

Higher-income respondents reported it at 55%.

Whether your household is low income or higher income, more than half of respondents in your income group reported it.

Types of Care Put Off

Dental care topped the list of care that people put off.

Four in 10 Californians (42%) said they or a family member delayed or skipped dental care.

Dental care led by 10 points.

A recommended medical test or treatment came next at 32%, followed by specialty care at 31% and primary care at 25%.

Mental health care came in at 20%.

Another 21% said they or a family member didn’t fill a prescription, and 15% cut pills in half or skipped doses.

Those percentages are shares of everyone surveyed, not just the 59%.

If your household is low income, the dental figure is 53%, compared with 42% overall.

For low-income respondents, specialty care (42%) and a recommended medical test or treatment (40%) came next.

Reasons for Skipping Care

The survey asked the 1,476 respondents who delayed or skipped care why they did it.

Insurance not covering the care, with no way to pay out of pocket, was a major or minor reason for 78% of them.

Among low-income respondents, 86% gave that reason, compared with 77% of higher-income respondents.

Not being able to afford the copay or other costs, even with coverage, was a reason for 68%.

The copay was a reason for 78% of low-income respondents and 65% of higher-income respondents.

If you’ve ever skipped a follow-up because the copay was too high, you’ve seen that reason up close.

Time, Childcare and Transportation

Your schedule and your commute can keep you from care, too.

Among people who skipped or delayed care, 46% named not being able to afford time off work, and 41% named not being able to get time off.

Needing childcare for an appointment was a barrier too: 27% said they couldn’t afford it, and 28% said they couldn’t get it.

Not having transportation was a reason for 28%.

Not being able to afford transportation was a reason for 24%.

Among low-income respondents who skipped or delayed care, 63% said they couldn’t afford time off work, 55% said they couldn’t get time off, and 50% said they didn’t have transportation.

Worsening Conditions

Has skipping or delaying care ever made a condition worse for you or a family member?

Among respondents who skipped or delayed care, 42% said yes.

By our math, that works out to about one in four of everyone surveyed.

Low-income respondents who skipped or delayed care said yes more often, at 56%.

Race, Language and Health Rating

Two in three Latino/x Californians (67%) said they or a family member skipped or delayed care.

That compares with 57% of Asian, 54% of White and 43% of Black respondents.

Respondents who speak Spanish at home reported it at 71%, compared with 59% overall.

How would you rate your health?

Respondents who described their health as poor or fair reported skipped or delayed care at 71%.

The share was 66% for those who said good and 48% for very good or excellent.

Rural North and Inland Empire

Seven in 10 Rural North respondents (71%) said they or a family member skipped or delayed care because of cost.

That's higher than the statewide figure and any other region except the Inland Empire.

If you live in the Inland Empire, that share was 65%, compared with 59% statewide.