In a 5-year low, most Americans say they can no longer afford healthcare
Most Americans were unable to afford healthcare in 2025, a new national poll reported, in the latest sign that health costs remain one of the nation’s most pressing affordability concerns.
The U.S.-based analytics and public opinion research company, Gallup, and the nonprofit institute West Health surveyed more than 5,000 adults across the country late last year and found that only 49% could afford needed medical care and prescription medications and could access quality care.
That figure is the lowest recorded in the five years since Gallup started collecting data. In 2021, 56% of poll respondents could afford healthcare.
The findings come amid growing concern over health affordability nationwide. An April poll from KFF, a nonprofit health policy organization, found that 64% of Americans worry about being able to afford healthcare, with respondents ranking health costs among their top financial concerns, tied with gasoline and transportation expenses.
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As Americans face rising healthcare costs alongside other financial pressures, many are delaying or foregoing care altogether.
Young adults, women report greater challenges
While many Americans reported feeling squeezed by rising health costs, Gallup found that 10% of adults were “cost desperate,” meaning they lacked access to quality care and recently could not afford both needed medical services and prescription medications.
Young adults experienced some of the sharpest declines in affordability. In 2021, 46% of 18-to-29-year-olds could afford healthcare; that fell to 32% in 2025.
Older Americans, who are typically covered by Medicare, were the most likely to be able to afford healthcare. Even so, the share of adults 65 and older who could afford care fell from 73% in 2021 to 61% in 2025, including an eight-point drop over the past year.
There was also a stark gender disparity. In 2025, 42% of women said they could afford care, a drop from 48% in 2024. In comparison, 57% of men reported they could afford care in 2025, up from 55% the previous year.
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Gallup also found that people living with chronic diseases or mental health conditions were more likely to struggle with affordability.
Rising costs, rising premiums
Americans increasingly struggle to afford healthcare despite historically high rates of insurance coverage. About 92% of Americans were insured in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But coverage no longer guarantees affordability. Health insurance premiums have continued to rise, driven by inflation and higher healthcare costs. Earlier this year, millions of Americans who purchased insurance through the Affordable Care Act faced a hike in out-of-pocket premium costs when enhanced tax credits expired.
Annual family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance are now nearly $27,000.
Overall, health spending has skyrocketed in recent years, increasing by more than 7% in both 2022 and 2023. National health expenditures surpassed $5 trillion for the first time in 2024, according to federal estimates.
Delaying care
As costs increase, many Americans report changing how they seek care. KFF found that 36% of adults postponed or skipped medical treatment in the previous year because of cost concerns, while more than a quarter did not fill a prescription because of cost. Others said they skipped doses, cut pills in half or turned to over-the-counter medications instead of prescribed treatments to save money.
Nearly 1 in 5 adults who delayed or skipped care said their health worsened as a result.
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Health care costs are also affecting household budgets. West Health and Gallup reported that about one-third of Americans cut spending in other areas — including food, transportation and utilities — to pay for health expenses.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
