Nearly half of U.S. adults worry they won’t afford needed healthcare in 2026, West Health–Gallup finds
A West Health–Gallup study finds 47% of U.S. adults are worried they won’t be able to afford necessary healthcare in the coming year, and a record 20% report someone in their household couldn’t pay for prescription medications in the past three months.
Affordability anxiety reaches a new high
Nearly half of U.S. adults say they are worried they will not be able to afford necessary healthcare in 2026, according to new findings released by West Health and Gallup. The reported figure—47%—is the highest recorded since the organizations began tracking the measure in 2021, underscoring how medical costs continue to shape household stress as the new year begins.
The survey also highlights prescription drug pressure. A record one in five Americans, 20%, said they or someone in their household could not pay for prescription medications in the prior three months. That figure captures a particularly acute form of strain because it suggests cost barriers are not hypothetical; they are already affecting whether people can obtain routine treatments.
A new state-by-state lens on healthcare experiences
The data was released alongside a broader state-level project examining how residents experience healthcare access, affordability, and quality across the U.S. The findings indicate that where someone lives can strongly influence whether they can obtain care, fill prescriptions, or follow through on recommended tests and procedures without financial hardship.
What the numbers suggest about 2026
The combination of widespread anxiety and reports of people skipping medications signals that affordability is not only a policy debate but also a day-to-day reality for millions of households. If costs remain elevated, the risk is that more people delay care, ration prescriptions, and experience preventable complications—outcomes that can raise long-term costs for families and the health system alike.
- 47%: share of U.S. adults worried they won’t afford necessary healthcare in the coming year.
- 20%: record share reporting inability to pay for prescription medications in the past three months.
- Large differences by state: top-ranked states still show meaningful pockets of cost-related barriers.