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.

Source: Washington Post March 14, 2026 16:32 UTC