For many years, KFF polling has found that the high cost of health care is a burden on U.S. families, and that health care costs factor into decisions about insurance coverage and care seeking. These costs and the prospect of unexpected medical bills also rank as the top financial worries for adults and their families. This data note summarizes recent KFF polling on the public’s experiences with health care costs. Main takeaways include.
Just under half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford health care costs, and one in four say they or a family member in their household had problems paying for health care in the past 12 months. Black and Hispanic adults, those with lower incomes, and the uninsured are particularly likely to report problems affording health care in the past year.