More Americans are postponing health care due to cost, in September KFF Health Tracking Poll

Between August and September 2009, many more Americans delayed health care due to cost. In August, 49% of U.S. health citizens said they were postponing care in some way owing to cost; by September, 56% of Americans said they were doing so.

Kaiser Family Foundation's Health Tracking Poll has been watching this phenomenon since well before last year's Presidential election. 42% said they did one of the cost-managing activities in April 2008; that percentage is now 14 percentage points higher.

Clearly, more Americans are making tougher decisions on health care spending in the context of competing household budget priorities like food, gas, and energy.

KFF also found that the number of Americans supporting health reform "now" versus "later" creeped up 4 percentage points in the past month. Furthermore, the number of people saying they'd be better off with health reform grew from 36% to 42%; at the same time, the number of people who foresee they'd be worse off fell from 27% to 23%. Diving into the details by political party, there was a huge decline in the number of Republicans who said they'd be worse off after health reform passage from 61% in August to 49% in September.

Two-thirds of Americans, overall, remain "hopeful" about health reform passing; at the same time, 58% of people are "frustrated."

Health Populi's Hot Points: What's changed in the past month to reverse some of the downturn in health reform support among Americans - especially among Republicans who think they could be better off, or at least in a neutral position post-health reform? The President has made his case to the joint session of Congress and to the American people. He's also addressed smaller, more informal groups, from labor unions to workplaces. And, Democratic legislators seem to be getting more realistic about the prospect for a bipartisan bill, with only Olympia Snowe now seeming to be a possible Republican pro-reform vote on her side of the aisle.

Perhaps, too, it's mainstream Americans realizing that they're still job-locked with health insurance, still worrying about losing jobs, or still unemployed. The large increase in people project-managing health @ home means more people are doing without seeking health care, tests, and medical counsel.