More than 82 million Americans—about one-third of U.S. adults—are making financial sacrifices to afford healthcare. That can mean cutting back on essentials like food, utilities, and gas—or even stretching prescriptions to make them last longer. A nationally representative West Health–Gallup survey (2025, published March 2026) found these trade-offs show up across both insured and uninsured households.
Cost pressure is widespread
Across major nonpartisan research, the story is consistent:
- 44% of U.S. adults say it’s very or somewhat difficult to afford healthcare costs (KFF, May 2025).
- 36% skipped or postponed needed care due to cost in the past year (KFF, May 2025).
- 35% say they couldn’t access quality care today if they needed it because of cost (West Health–Gallup, 2025).
- 36–41% of adults/households carry some form of medical or dental debt.
These aren’t rare situations—they’re everyday decisions happening at scale.
The uninsured are hit hardest
In 2024, about 8% of Americans (~27 million people) were uninsured, mostly working-age adults. For them, affordability is a wall:
- 82% (under 65) say it’s difficult to afford healthcare costs.
- 75% (under 65) skipped or postponed care due to cost.
- 62% made at least one sacrifice/trade-off, including borrowing money or stretching medications.
Insurance helps, but doesn’t guarantee affordability
Even among insured adults, cost burdens persist—often due to premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses:
- ~30% made at least one daily expense cutback to afford healthcare.
- 42% (under 65) say it’s difficult to afford healthcare costs.
- ~37% skipped or postponed care due to cost.
The takeaway
When tens of millions of people delay care or cut essentials to pay for healthcare, the impact spreads—worse health outcomes, growing debt, and families postponing major life decisions.
Access isn’t just “having coverage.” It’s being able to use care without sacrificing the rest of your life to afford it.
A simple next step
If you’re an employer trying to support part-time, full time or hourly employees—or a broker looking for a straightforward option for clients with large non-traditional workforces—it may be worth exploring benefit solutions designed to be affordable, easy to roll out, and easy to use.
At The Part Time Benefits Company (PTB), we focus on flexible, bundled benefit packages built for part-time, gig, and hourly teams—without the heavy lift.
If you’d like, we can share a quick overview you can use with your team or clients to see whether it’s a fit.