Nearly half of all people in the United States are struggling to afford healthcare and prescriptions, according to new findings from Gallup’s Healthcare Affordability Index.
Approximately 37% of those surveyed were either unable to pay for healthcare and medicine or reported lacking easy access to needed care. Another 8% reported they were unable to pay for care and prescriptions and said they would not be able to access care if needed immediately.
The findings come from Gallup’s Survey on Aging in America, produced jointly with its partner organization West Health. The partnership conducted a survey of over 5,000 adults living in the U.S. and calculated the results based on care avoidance, skipped medical treatments, and difficulty accessing care.
The percentage of respondents who fit into the category of “cost-secure,” or those who had no recent problems in affording healthcare or medicines, fell by six points since last year, from 61% in 2022 to only 55% in 2023.
Americans over age 65 report being more cost-secure compared to younger age brackets, but the ability to afford medical care for all age groups has declined since Gallup began collecting this type of data in 2021.
The percentage of seniors over age 65 who reported they were cost-secure fell from 79% in 2022 to 71% in 2021. Those between the ages of 50 and 64 were the second most cost-secure last year, falling from 63% in 2022 to 55% in 2023.
Younger people between the ages of 18 and 49 struggled the most, with only 47% being able to afford and have access to healthcare and medication in 2023.
Respondents considered “cost-desperate” by the study were also 10 times more likely to have cut back on utilities and food in order to pay for medical care in the past year and were 21 times more likely to be “extremely concerned” about being able to afford prescription in the next year.
“Cost-desperate” respondents were also seven times more likely to have had a family member or friend die within the past year due to not receiving medical care because they could not afford it.
The cost of healthcare remains a key economic concern for voters heading into the 2024 general election season.
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In a January poll from healthcare policy think tank KFF, 48% of voters reported the cost of healthcare as the reason they described the economy in a negative light. Nearly three-quarters of respondents in that study reported they were either “very” or “somewhat” worried about being able to afford unexpected medical bills and the costs of healthcare services.
A May poll from the Pew Research Center found that affordability of healthcare was the third highest priority heading into the election season, second only to inflation and the ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together on important matters.