In spite of passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), one in three Americans are now opting to put off medical treatment because of high costs.

The Daily Caller is reporting on a new survey released by Gallup which found that 33 percent of Americans have delayed medical treatment for themselves or family members because they couldn’t afford the high costs involved. This is the highest number of people to say they are delaying treatment due to costs since the survey began in 2001.

In spite of promising to make health care affordable, the number of people who can’t afford a trip to the doctor these days has actually risen three points since the ACA took effect.

By far, the hardest hit is the middle class – Americans whose annual household income ranges from $30,000 to $75,000. Last year, 33 percent of people in this income range delayed coverage; this year, the number jumped to 38 percent.

Even those making more than $75,000 are cutting back on doctor visits with 28 percent saying they delayed a visit, which is up from 17 percent just last year.

The reason for these delays is due, at least in part, to rising deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, as well as to rising premiums. Even though this trend existed before Obamacare, passage of the controversial  new law has seen these trends increase significantly.

On the other hand, households with the lowest annual income – under $30,000 – are experiencing the opposite effect. Last year, 43 percent said they were putting off a doctor’s visit; this year it’s down to 35 percent. This demographic is now less likely to delay care because the ACA offers them either Medicaid or generous subsidies to make health care more affordable.

“It’s a remarkable shift: after Obamacare’s redistribution of wealth, the middle class is actually delaying medical care due to high costs at a higher rate than the poorest section of the country, which is highly subsidized by taxpayers,” the Caller reports.

“Gallup’s results corroborate what many Obamacare supporters have confirmed about the health-care law: while it’s named the Affordable Care Act, its purpose was to increase the number of Americans with health insurance, not to make it more affordable for everyone.”

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