A large national study released on Thursday shows that economic pressure from healthcare expenses led roughly one-third of U.S. adults to cut back on everyday spending during the past year.
The West Health-Gallup Center survey, conducted between June and August 2025 and designed to be representative both nationally and by state, polled nearly 20,000 adults across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It found that 33% of respondents reported making at least one trade-off in daily expenses - such as reducing spending on food, utilities or other routine needs - to pay for healthcare.
The incidence of these trade-offs was markedly higher among Americans without health insurance. According to the survey, 62% of uninsured respondents said they had made at least one sacrifice to meet healthcare costs. Specific coping mechanisms reported by this group included borrowing money - cited by 32% of uninsured respondents - and delaying or prolonging current medication, reported by 24%.
By contrast, the survey found that nearly three in 10 people with health insurance also reported having made at least one sacrifice to cover healthcare spending.
The survey report noted rising costs are affecting people even when they have private insurance. It stated that most Americans with private health insurance are facing higher premiums and steeper out-of-pocket costs in 2026, and highlighted that millions of people enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans have seen an increase in net costs after the expiration of extra pandemic-era subsidies.
Timothy Lash, president of West Health Policy Center, commented on the broader health trends the organization is observing: "We’re actually finding that people are reporting higher incidences of metabolic disease or depression and anxiety. We’re not getting healthier as a society, we’re actually getting sicker, and the healthcare cost is going up on top of it," he said.
In a second survey released the same day, Gallup used its panel to collect responses from 5,660 U.S. adults primarily between October and December of last year. That poll asked respondents whether healthcare costs had led them to delay a life event or change within the past four years, citing examples such as buying a new home or taking a vacation.
Nearly 9% of respondents to that Gallup-panel survey reported postponing their retirement because of healthcare expenses. The survey also found that twice as many respondents - relative to those delaying retirement - reported delaying a job change for the same reason.
Both surveys were released on Thursday and together underscore the financial decisions many households are making as healthcare costs rise and pandemic-era supports have waned.