One-Third of Americans Sacrifice Essentials to Cover Medical Bills

The West Health-Gallup Center surveyed nearly 20,000 adults, finding that 33% of the population made at least one significant financial sacrifice last year to pay for medical care. Among these, 11% reported skipping meals or reducing essential travel, while 15% delayed filling prescriptions or resorted to borrowing money. Crucially, these burdens are not confined to the uninsured; 29% of insured Americans also reported making trade-offs to afford their medical expenses.

Financial strain is increasingly hitting higher-earning households. One-quarter of families earning between $90,000 and $120,000 reported cutting back on food or other expenses to satisfy medical debt. These economic pressures are fundamentally altering life trajectories: 6% of respondents—representing roughly 16 million people—postponed starting or expanding their families due to the prohibitive costs of care. Others delayed major life milestones, such as purchasing a home, pursuing job training, or changing employment.

Ellyn Maese, a senior researcher at Gallup, noted the findings present a consistent narrative of widespread vulnerability. The release of this data follows recent administration proposals to implement high-deductible healthcare plans, which could see individual deductibles reach $15,000. While public support for expanding Medicare remains high, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) criticized the persistent legislative argument that such programs are unaffordable, pointing to the stark contrast between current military expenditures and the domestic struggle for basic health security.