A new Gallup poll has found that fewer than half of American adults say they can afford the health care they need. Just 49 percent of those surveyed reported being able to afford their care, which researchers said is the lowest level since Gallup began tracking the measure five years ago. The survey was carried out in partnership with the West Health Institute, a nonprofit focused on health and aging.
According to the findings, the share of Americans who can afford care has fallen by about 10 percentage points over the past five years. Those behind the research described the drop as a steady erosion in people's ability to pay for medical care. They argued that the trend reflects a sustained shift rather than a temporary swing tied to a single year.
The institute's chief medical officer, Dr. Zia Agha, said the country's overall health care expenditure has now grown past 5 trillion dollars. He said much of that expense ends up hitting consumers directly through co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs. He added that when the system does not invest enough in primary care and catching illness early, patients end up sicker, in the hospital, and facing larger bills.
Agha said the poll suggests affordability problems are becoming systemic rather than isolated. He noted that the challenge now spans age groups, from adults in their twenties to people 65 and older on Medicare, and cuts across gender, race and income. He said the issue was once thought of mainly as a concern for low-income people, but the latest data shows it reaches across all demographics.
He described the situation as not only a financial crisis but also a public health one. According to Agha, when patients and families cannot afford care, they begin to ration it, skipping medications and the kind of treatment that helps control chronic disease. He warned that this pattern can lead to worse outcomes, more hospitalizations and higher mortality over time.
Agha pointed to several areas where health leaders and policymakers could focus their attention. These included using new technology and artificial intelligence to cut waste and make care more efficient, and setting fairer prices for goods in the health economy through more open markets. He said the current payment structure is complicated and does not always reward high quality, high value and lower cost care.
He also cited drug pricing as an example, noting the steps taken when Medicare began negotiating drug prices on behalf of American citizens. Agha said making care accessible and affordable for all citizens would require changes across how care is delivered, how prices are set and how providers are paid. He framed the affordability crisis as a problem likely to remain in focus in the years ahead.