By Ellyn Maese
Gallup, Wellbeing, March 12, 2026
Amid a landscape of elevated prices and a rising cost of living, Americans are feeling financial strain from both a range of daily expenses, such as groceries and utilities, and healthcare expenses.
The West Health-Gallup Affordability Index indicates thatĀ Americansā ability to afford healthcareĀ has deteriorated in recent years. In 2026, millions are expected to face higher insurance premiums and rising out-of-pocket costs as the expiration of some Affordable Care Act subsidies and upcoming cuts to Medicaid enrollment threaten coverage. Collectively, these shifts could leave millions of Americans without health insurance at a time when financial stress is already running high.
New findings from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America reveal that some Americans are cutting back on a wide range of other expenses, including utilities, driving less to save gas money to pay for healthcare, and stretching out doses of prescription drugs or borrowing money.
Americans also report that healthcare expenses are influencing long-term planning and major life decisions. Even middle-income households are feeling the strain.
Healthcare Costs Impact Daily Life
In a nationally and state-representative survey of nearly 20,000 U.S. adults conducted from June through August 2025, roughly one-third of respondents ā the equivalent of more than 82 million Americans ā said they have made at least one trade-off with daily living expenses to afford healthcare.
These financial trade-offs are far more common among Americans who do not have health insurance, with 62% saying they have made at least one sacrifice to pay for healthcare, including 32% who have borrowed money and 24% who have prolonged medication. But even among those with insurance, close to three in 10 have made at least one sacrifice.
full survey results: https://news.gallup.com…
