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55% of American adults Affordability and access to healthcare and medicines The second half of 2023 is expected to see the lowest percentage of respondents saying they can afford health care since the two companies began tracking that issue in 2021, according to a survey by Gallup and health policy institute West Health.
In a survey conducted between Nov. 13, 2023 and Jan. 8, 2024 among 5,149 respondents ages 18 and over, the ability to afford medical costs was more elusive for younger people. 47% of respondents ages 18 to 49 said they were “comfortable with costs,” meaning they haven’t had any trouble paying for medical or drug bills recently. That’s down from 2022, when 52% of this age group said they were comfortable with costs.
The safety of medical expenses is declining, with cost concerns especially prominent among younger generations
Percentage of U.S. adults classified as cost-safe by age, 2021-2023
The share of Americans who are “cost anxious” or “desperate about costs,” defined by Gallup and WestHealth as a recent inability to pay medical bills or lack of access to care, has also increased since 2022. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they were cost anxious in 2023 and early 2024, compared with 32% in 2022.
The Gallup/WestHealth poll reflects broader concerns about health care affordability, both inside and outside of employer-sponsored health insurance markets. A Mercer survey released last month found that most employers Plan to maintain current health insurance benefit levels In 2025, costs are expected to rise at a cost per employee growth rate of 5.2% year-over-year from 2023 to 2024, even after nearly a decade of 3% annual cost increases.
The share of employees surveyed by Gallup and West Health who said they were in dire financial need remained the same in 2023 and early 2024 as in 2021 at 8%, but the companies noted that Black and Hispanic patients felt a greater sense of financial urgency compared to white patients.
People desperate to save money are at least 10 times more likely to have had to cut back on utilities or food costs to pay for medical care within the past year, and seven times more likely to have lost a family member or friend in the past year because they could not afford medical bills, the companies said.
Delays in care are also a concern for workers who buy health insurance through their employers. Healthcare vendor Patient said in a March survey that about 40% of U.S. workers Deferred medical needs Due to concerns about cost.
