Dec. 6 (UPI) -- More than four out of every 10 American families have at least one member with a pre-existing medical condition, a new survey said Friday.
Gallup said its research found 19 percent of U.S. adults said they have a relative with such a condition. Fifteen percent of respondents said they themselves have a pre-existing condition, and 9 percent said they and a family member do -- for a total of 43 percent answering in the affirmative in some fashion.
The respondents answered the question that asked about "a long-term medical condition, illness or disease that would be considered a 'preexisting' condition by a health insurance company."
Those 65 and older reported the most pre-existing conditions (33 percent), followed by respondents 50 to 64 (31 percent). Just 16 percent of those 18 to 29 answered the same.
Respondents who self-identified as overweight were most likely to report pre-existing conditions (32 percent), while just 21 percent of underweight adults did.
More women reported such a condition than men, by a margin of 29 percent to 21 percent.
The results are part of Gallup's annual Health and Healthcare survey, which did not request or specify the nature of the pre-existing conditions. The subject was a key element in the passage of the Affordable Care Act nearly a decade ago.
Gallup surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., for the poll, which has a margin of error of 4 points.
