Americans Face Significant Challenges with Health Care Costs, KFF Polling Reveals
Health care affordability remains one of the most pressing financial concerns for many American families, according to recent polling data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Updated as of April 30, 2026, these findings underscore the ongoing struggles U.S. adults face in accessing and paying for necessary health services, even among those with health insurance coverage.
Widespread Difficulty Affording Health Care
KFF’s polling reveals that nearly half of U.S. adults (44%) find it difficult to afford health care expenses. This challenge is particularly acute among certain groups. Uninsured adults under the age of 65 are the most affected, with 82% reporting trouble managing costs. Hispanic adults (55%) and Black adults (49%) also report higher rates of difficulty compared to White adults (39%). Income plays a significant role: adults in households earning less than $40,000 annually are more likely to report hardships paying for medical care than those with higher incomes.
Problems Paying Medical Bills Affect Many Households
Approximately 28% of adults said that they or a family member had difficulties paying for health care within the past 12 months. This figure climbs to 41% for Hispanic adults and 40% among younger adults aged 18 to 29. Among the uninsured under age 65, 59% reported problems covering medical expenses, more than double the 30% of insured adults facing similar issues.
Cost-Related Care Delays and Skipped Treatment
Financial barriers often lead patients to delay or forgo needed treatment. One-third of adults (36%) reported skipping or postponing medical care in the last year due to cost. Women were slightly more likely than men to report this (38% vs. 32%). Although Medicare-eligible adults aged 65 and older were less likely to delay care, large shares of uninsured adults (75%) said they went without necessary health services because of financial reasons. Even among insured adults, 37% faced difficulties affording care.
This care avoidance comes with serious health consequences. Nearly 18% of adults reported their health worsened as a result of delaying or skipping medical care. Among uninsured adults under 65, this negative health impact was reported twice as frequently as by insured peers (42% vs. 20%).
Prescription Drug Costs Cause Medication Nonadherence
Prescription drug expenses also present a significant barrier. Four in ten U.S. adults (43%) have resorted to cost-saving measures such as taking over-the-counter medications instead of prescribed drugs (31%), not filling prescriptions (27%), or cutting pills/skipping doses (19%) in the past year. These behaviors were more common among lower-income, uninsured, female, Black, and Hispanic individuals.
Large Segments Carry Medical Debt
Medical and dental bills continue to generate debt for many Americans. In 2022, 41% of adults reported owing money due to health care costs, including debts to credit cards, collection agencies, and other lenders. Black and Hispanic adults, women, parents, lower-income individuals, and the uninsured were disproportionately likely to carry such debt. Those with ongoing medical debt are also more prone to delaying or avoiding medical care, compounding the financial and health burdens.
Insurance Coverage Does Not Fully Shield Against Financial Strain
Despite having health insurance, many Americans still experience stress over health care affordability. About 38% of insured adults under 65 worry about affording their monthly premiums. Moreover, large proportions of both employer-sponsored and marketplace insurance holders rate their coverage as "fair" or "poor" regarding premiums and out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits.
Overall, approximately two-thirds of adults (64%) express some degree of worry—30% "very worried" and 34% "somewhat worried"—about paying for health care for themselves or their families.
Conclusion
The persistent challenge of health care affordability in the U.S. affects nearly every demographic group to some extent, with the uninsured, racial and ethnic minorities, women, younger adults, and lower-income households facing the most severe difficulties. The financial strain leads not only to medical debt but also to skipped or delayed care, which can worsen health outcomes. These findings highlight the ongoing need for policies that address both insurance coverage and the underlying costs of health care and prescription medications.
This summary is based on the Kaiser Family Foundation’s updated polling data and analysis on Americans’ experiences with health care costs as of April 30, 2026.