New figures reveal more Americans struggling to afford health care

The share of Individuals who can afford and entry prescribed drugs and high quality well being care stands at a brand new low of 55%, a six-point decline since 2022, in accordance with the West Well being-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index. The index was developed in 2021 to trace the proportion of Individuals who say they’ve prevented medical care or not stuffed prescription drugs within the final three months and whether or not they imagine they might afford care in the event that they wanted it at present.

The downturn is basically attributed to 2 teams—adults aged 50 to 64 (down eight factors to 55%) and people aged 65 and older (down eight factors to 71%), a troubling signal since Medicare eligibility for many Individuals begins at 65. The share of adults beneath 50 who may readily afford well being care was the bottom of any age group at 47%, a five-point decline since 2022.

For the index, researchers grouped Individuals into one of many following three classes relying on how they reported their ease or problem paying for and accessing medical care, together with pharmaceuticals:

Price-secure—no current issues with affording and accessing well being care and prescriptions;
Price-insecure—not too long ago unable to both pay for care or drugs or unable to entry it;
Price-desperate—not too long ago unable to pay for care and drugs and lack speedy entry to high quality care.

“After an uptick in 2022, well being care affordability in America is headed within the flawed route,” mentioned Timothy Lash, President, West Well being, a nonprofit centered on growing older and well being care analysis, coverage and philanthropy. “The excellent news is that well being care provisions within the Inflation Discount Act—together with empowering Medicare to barter decrease drug costs, which has not but taken impact—could assist gradual these adverse traits and supply extra stability. However rather more have to be carried out to rein in costs for Individuals of all ages. Excessive costs are one of many greatest impediments to a wholesome growing older inhabitants and a affluent economic system.”

Forty-five % of American adults report struggling to cowl their medical payments and are both cost-insecure or cost-desperate. Youthful adults are greater than thrice as prone to be cost-desperate than these 65 and older (10% vs. 3%). The share of individuals aged 50 to 64 years previous thought of cost-desperate has risen to 10%, the best degree measured for this group up to now. Racial and gender divides have additionally widened, with Black (11%) and Hispanic (14%) adults significantly extra prone to fall within the cost-desperate class than their white counterparts (7%) and girls (11%) practically twice as probably as males (6%).

In line with the not too long ago launched West Well being-Gallup 2024 Survey on Getting older in America, an estimated 72.2 million—or practically one in three—American adults didn’t search wanted well being care within the prior three months resulting from value, together with an estimated 8.1 million Individuals aged 65 and older. Practically one-third (31%) have been involved about their capability to pay for prescribed drugs within the subsequent 12 months, up from 25% in 2022.

“The yr 2022 confirmed encouraging traits of elevated well being care affordability post-pandemic,” says Dan Witters, Senior Researcher at Gallup. “The decline in 2024 is regarding in that it reveals the fragility of Individuals’ buying energy amid a high-priced well being care system. In a comparatively quick time, many adults have gone from feeling assured they’ll cowl their well being prices to struggling to cowl their medical payments.”

Along with the index on affordability, a West Well being-Gallup Well being care Worth Index was developed in 2021 to trace public sentiment as to the perceived price of the medical care Individuals obtain relative to the quantity they pay. This index supplied one of many few barely optimistic traits. Although greater than a 3rd (36%) of Individuals in 2024 imagine that they—and Individuals usually—are paying an excessive amount of for the standard of care they obtain and that their most up-to-date care expertise was not price the associated fee, that is 9 proportion factors lower than was reported three years in the past.

Methodology

Outcomes are based mostly on a survey carried out by each mail (centered on older Individuals) and net from Nov. 13, 2023, to Jan. 8, 2024, with 5,149 adults aged 18 and older, dwelling in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as part of the Gallup Panel.

For outcomes based mostly on these month-to-month samples of nationwide adults, the margin of sampling error on the 95% confidence degree is ±1.7 proportion factors for response percentages round 50% and is ±1 proportion level for response percentages round 10% or 90%, design impact included. For reported age subgroups, the margin of error will likely be bigger, usually starting from ±3 to ±5 proportion factors.

Supplied by
West Well being Institute