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  READ MORE: As many as 74 million Americans may lose their ability to obtain healthcare following Trump’s freeze on federal funds.
  

As Americans keep wrestling with increasing expenses in virtually every sector, a recent poll indicates that they are also finding it difficult to afford good quality medical care.

More than one-third of U.S. adults (approximately 91 million individuals) would be unable to obtain adequate medical care immediately if necessary, according to the most recent West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported federal health care expenditures totaling $4.9 trillion in 2023, which equates to approximately $14,570 per individual.

Even though around 305 million individuals have health coverage in the United States, approximately 26 million Americans remain without insurance and are personally bearing their medical expenses.

Approximately four out of every ten adults say they have debts due to unpaid medical or dental expenses, whereas more than 70 million people refrain from seeing doctors for fear of costly charges.

According to The West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index, Hispanic Americans were affected the most, as 52 percent reported being unable to pay for quality healthcare.

In second place were African Americans, with approximately 46 percent stating they did so.
were unable to cover their physicians’ medical expenses
.

The survey additionally pointed out that 64 percent of individuals with an income below $24,000 and 57 percent of those earning between $24,000 and $48,000 annually were struggling to cover their healthcare costs.

However, Americans with incomes above $48,000 maintained a consistent level of accessibility to affordable healthcare from 2023 to 2024.

Dan Witters, a senior researcher at Gallup, stated in a press release: “The national decline in healthcare affordability and accessibility continues, with this problem being particularly severe for Black, Hispanic, and low-income individuals.”

‘In contrast, white adults and individuals from higher-income households continue to be mostly shielded from these deteriorating conditions.’

‘This particular disparity represents the largest gap in healthcare accessibility among these groups that we’ve documented so far, as numerous Americans face heightened difficulties annually.’

Between November 18 and December 27, 2024, a total of 6,296 adults aged 18 and over from across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia completed the survey via both online and postal methods.

The participants were subsequently grouped as follows: those who felt financially secure—experiencing no recent challenges when obtaining or affording healthcare or purchasing prescriptions; cost-insecure individuals—who had recently struggled with getting medical attention, bearing the costs of treatment, or buying medications; and finally, people labeled as cost-desperate—who found themselves unable to gain access to any health-related services, particularly affordable treatments and necessary medicines.

According to these categories, merely 51 percent of Americans were found to be financially secure, marking the lowest figure since 2021.

An all-time peak of 11 percent (approximately 29 million) Americans were categorized as being in dire straits due to costs.

Although there has been significant shifts in the percentage of Americans categorized as financially strained or financially stable recently, approximately four out of every ten individuals still remain economically insecure.

The survey indicated that Hispanic adults experienced the most significant decreases in security during the four-year span, falling 17 percentage points to 34 percent.

Following this, Black adults saw a decrease of 13 percentage points, bringing their total to 41 percent.

Without insurance coverage, initial appointments with a physician may cost between $150 and $300 simply for an evaluation.

With insurance coverage, however, copayments generally fall between $10 and $50.

The survey revealed that the disparity between those who can afford healthcare and those who cannot has significantly increased since their initial questionnaire in 2021, particularly affecting Hispanic adults, with an increase of eight percentage points to 18 percent.

The percentage of Black adults increased by five points to reach 14%, and the rate for lower-income households with an annual income below $24,000 rose by 11 points to stand at 25%.

Nevertheless, over the past four years, there has been minimal alteration in the standing of white adults or those from middle-to-high income brackets within America.

The researchers proposed that the widening gap could result from various elements, such as higher rates of both consumer prices and healthcare costs along with ongoing medication shortages.

The reduction in Medicaid enrollment stemming from the end of the continuous enrollment provision, along with significant decreases in CHIP enrollment due to budget cuts, might also be contributing factors.

The president of the West Health Policy Center, Tim Lash, indicated that the sole method for reducing disparities and ensuring accessible healthcare is via alterations in government policies.

In a news statement, he remarked: “The increasing curve of people unable to afford healthcare is a worrying pattern that is expected to persist and possibly speed up.”

There is an urgent need for policy actions at both the state and federal levels; otherwise, even more Americans might find themselves unable to afford treatment or may face difficult choices between covering their healthcare costs and meeting other essential expenses.

The toll in terms of human life and economics is immense.

This occurred several months following Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s statement that Americans were dissatisfied with state-administered healthcare initiatives and favored opting for privately operated schemes instead.

Kennedy, who was 71 at the time, spoke against government-operated healthcare initiatives during one of his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearings in January.

When queried about his ideas for enhancing Medicare and Medicaid, the Secretary—who personally opts for a Medicare Advantage plan, which is an independently operated option to standard Medicare—stated: “It’s crucial to hear what individuals want when choosing their coverage.”

I’d like to pose this question to anyDemocrats currently laughing: Do you believe that the $900 billion allocated annually to Medicaid is ensuring the health of Americans? Is this system proving effective for anyone? And are the premiums affordable?

In January 2024, information came to light that
pharmaceutical companies have increased drug prices
Of over 770 medications, including Ozempic, the best-selling drug
diabetes
drug often used for
weight loss
.

The company behind it, Novo Nordisk, increased the price by 3.5% to nearly $970 for a monthly supply.

At the same time, Eli Lilly raised the price of Mounjaro,
a medication prescribed for diabetes that is also utilized for shedding pounds
, 4.5% to end at around $1,070 per month.

AstraZeneca
Also increased the price of blood by three percent.
cancer
Treatment with CalQUENCE, the non-small cell lung cancer medication Tagrisso, and the asthma therapy Fasenra.

Increases for
Pfizer
incorporated a 6% increase in the price of Xeljanz, which treats autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, along with hikes of 7.9% on cancer medications Ibrance and Xalkori.

Pfizer stated that these increases were essential for funding advancements in pharmaceutical research.

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