Survey Reveals What Americans Are Giving Up to Afford Their Healthcare

Millions of Americans have to make sacrifices every day in order to afford healthcare, a nationwide survey of 20,000 adults found.

The survey found that a third of respondents, the equivalent of 82 million Americans, made at least one tradeoff with daily living expenses to afford healthcare.

The survey found that Americans deploy a number of strategies to afford health care, including driving less to save gas money, skipping meals, stretching out doses of prescription drugs, borrowing money, and attempting to reduce other expenses such as utilities.

“These financial tradeoffs 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,” the survey stated.

The survey also noted that the situation could worsen in 2026. The war with Iran, for example, has resulted in gas being 50 cents higher per gallon when compared to the same time last year, according to AAA.

Aside from increases to the cost of living, the survey noted that millions of people will likely face higher insurance premiums as some Affordable Care Act subsidies expire. The survey also stated that upcoming cuts to Medicaid enrollment could threaten coverage for some.

“Collectively, these shifts could leave millions of Americans without health insurance at a time when financial stress is already running high,” the survey noted.

The need to make tradeoffs decreases as income rises. The survey found that 55 percent of households earning less than $24,000 made some type of tradeoff. At the high end of income, only 11 percent of households earning $240,000 a year or more made a tradeoff.