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Unaffordable Healthcare Costs Continue to Burden Millions of Americans
Beyond elevated egg prices and escalating housing costs, a recent survey highlights that persistently unaffordable healthcare remains a significant source of financial strain for numerous Americans. The study underscores the ongoing struggle many individuals face in affording essential medical expenses, such as doctor’s visits and prescription drugs, even before considering potential reductions in government-funded health coverage.
Survey Reveals Rising Number Unable to Afford Necessary Care
The survey revealed that 11 percent of respondents reported being unable to afford needed medication and healthcare services in the preceding three months. This represents the highest level of healthcare unaffordability recorded in the survey’s four-year history. Furthermore, over a third of those polled, approximating 91 million adults, expressed concern about their capacity to pay for medical treatment should the need arise.
Disparities Highlighted Among Minority Groups and Low-Income Households
Conducted between mid-November and late December 2024 by West Health and Gallup, the survey also brought to light widening disparities in healthcare access and affordability for Black and Hispanic adults, as well as individuals with lower incomes. Specifically, a quarter of respondents with an annual household income below $24,000 indicated they had been unable to afford or access necessary medical care within the past three months.
Expert Analysis on Vulnerable Populations
“The extent to which that has broadened and expanded really exposes how vulnerable these classes of individuals are,” commented Dan Witters, a senior researcher at Gallup, regarding the increasing difficulties faced by these demographic groups.
Financial Strain Unevenly Distributed
In contrast to marginalized groups, the survey indicated that white adults and higher-income earners experienced no significant change in their ability to manage healthcare payments. Eight percent of white adults reported facing healthcare affordability challenges, mirroring the figure from 2021.
Factors Contributing to Rising Healthcare Costs
Multiple factors contribute to the increasing difficulty people encounter in affording medical care. These include rising insurance premiums, increased out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, and recent rollbacks in Medicaid coverage. Experts caution that the persistent rise in healthcare costs, coupled with potential dramatic Medicaid cuts and the elimination of tax subsidies that lower the cost of Obamacare plans—proposals previously discussed—are likely to worsen the existing problem.
Concerns Over Systemic Financial Toxicity
“It puts further pressure on a system that already has a financial toxicity that is pervasive,” stated Tim Lash, president of the West Health Policy Center. He emphasized that numerous families are already burdened by medical debt. Unlike forgoing discretionary purchases, delaying necessary medical care can have severe, even fatal, consequences, Lash warned.
The Affordable Care Act and Ongoing Challenges
While acknowledging substantial progress made in expanding health coverage over the past 15 years through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which notably broadened Medicaid eligibility, Sara R. Collins, a health economist and vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit organization, asserted, “we’re not a country where health care is affordable.” She pointed out that even insured individuals often lack sufficient coverage to adequately handle their medical bills.
Potential Impact of Further Coverage Reductions
Collins cautioned that proposed substantial cuts being considered could lead to a surge in the number of individuals unable to 감당 healthcare costs, as millions risk losing their coverage or being relegated to less comprehensive plans, effectively reversing progress made under the ACA.
Return to Pre-ACA Healthcare Access Levels Foreseen
“We’re getting back to levels that existed before the Affordable Care Act,” Collins concluded, highlighting the potential for significant setbacks in healthcare accessibility and affordability.