Most Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck and cannot afford needed medical care.

Evidence

Economists Lance Taylor and Özlem Ömer show that in the United States, the capitalist class represents the wealthiest 1 percent of the population. These are individuals who primarily live off capital income generated by the wealth they own, such as dividends and interest. A much larger portion of the population relies mainly on income generated from their labor, and there is also a smaller segment of the population that lives on low wages and social benefits. In 2024, 77 percent of American workers reported that they would have financial difficulty if their paycheck was delayed by just one week. In a society where we increasingly depend on the market for everything, one out of three Americans is forced to postpone or forgo medical care because they cannot afford it, often with mortal consequences. This forgoing of medical care happens even in European countries with better health systems. In 2023, 7.6 percent of the Italian population gave up medical treatment because it was too expensive or the wait list for it was excessively long. We’re talking about approximately four million Italians. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 87

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s interest in how austerity/neoliberalism creates precarity — paycheck-to-paycheck data underpins that argument. — connects to: The U.S. lacks universal health care while spending heavily on overseas bases.; The US is the only high-income nation lacking universal healthcare, and race shapes access. — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project: A New American Origin…, 1158; Paycheck dependence and unaffordable care pervade even rich developed economies — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism: An Intervention, 87

Broader Connections

• The US is the only high-income nation lacking universal healthcare, and race shapes access. #expands (0.82) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 1158
• Paycheck dependence and unaffordable care pervade even rich developed economies #complicates (0.78) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 87
• The U.S. lacks universal health care while spending heavily on overseas bases. #qualifies (0.75)