About one-third of Americans — roughly 82 million people — say they have had to make financial sacrifices to cover health care costs. More than half of adults living in households earning less than $24,000 report making cuts to pay for health care or medicine. Even in households earning $240,000 or more, about 1.6 million Americans are now forced to make financial trade-offs to cover their medical bills. The high cost of health care is causing people to delay major life events, according to a second survey by West Health and Gallup. While wages rose by 119 percent, workers’ contributions to family health insurance premiums jumped by 308 percent, according to the 2025 Rice study.
