Patients are making trade-offs to afford healthcare

Patients are cutting back on other expenses to pay for healthcare, finds a news survey from West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare. Not only are they cutting back on utilities, and driving, they are stretching out doses of prescription drugs or borrowing money. In fact, roughly one-third of respondents — more than 82 million Americans — said they have made at least one trade-off with daily living expenses to afford healthcare. (See table below.)

The survey was conducted between June 9, 2025, and Aug. 25, 2025, with 19,535 adults aged 18 and older across the United States.

These financial trade-offs are far more common among those who do not have health insurance, those in poorer health and those earning less than $24,000 a year. Among those without insurance, 62% say they have made at least one sacrifice to pay for healthcare, including 32% who have borrowed money and 24% who have prolonged medication. More than half of U.S. adults (55%) in households earning less than $24,000 per year report having made at least one trade-off in their daily life to pay for healthcare.

In a separate survey done by West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare, Americans report having delayed buying a house or taking a vacation within the past four years due to healthcare costs. This survey was conducted between October 2025 and December 2025 with 5,560 Americans.

Nearly one in 10 adults — or an estimated 24 million Americans — say they have postponed their retirement due to healthcare costs. Additionally, 18% report delaying a job change, while 14% report putting off buying a new home and 6% say they have postponed growing their family.

Even higher-income households report putting off at least one of these decisions because of healthcare costs. Of those earning between $48,000 and $180,000 per year, the report says about half say they have delayed pursuing these life events, and one-third of adults in households earning $180,000 to less than $240,000 per year do the same.

Researchers from West Health-Gallup say the results from both surveys show that healthcare costs are shaping how people think about the way they live, work, and plan for the future. “While low-income households and those who lack health insurance are most acutely affected, middle-income earners are far from insulated. Even many Americans with six-figure incomes report making financial sacrifices, underscoring that affordability challenges are systemic rather than isolated to any one group,” they wrote.