More than four of every 10 rural households reported financial setbacks ranging from a shorter workweek to losing a business because of the coronavirus, said a poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health on Wednesday. The survey, conducted from July 1-Aug. 3, also found that a quarter of rural households were unable to get medical care for a serious problem when they needed it due to the pandemic.
When asked about the financial impact of the virus, 31 percent of rural American households said they used up almost or all of their savings. Among those with wage or job losses, two-thirds said they faced serious financial problems such as paying bills, buying food or affording medical care.
Households listed a variety of reasons why they were unable to get medical care, most commonly the inability to get an appointment at a suitable time, not being able to find a doctor to see them, and not being able to afford health care. Among the quarter of households unable to get care for a serious condition, 56 percent said there were adverse consequences because of it.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, 46 percent of rural households said they used tele-health via the telephone or internet because they could not see a doctor or other health professional in person. But one-third of rural households reported having serious problems doing their jobs or schoolwork over the internet or not having a high-speed connection at home.
The report on rural households was part of a polling series to assess the impact of the pandemic on various facets of Americans’ lives.
Named “The impact of coronavirus on households in rural America,” the report is available here.