What's happened
The West Health-Gallup Affordability Index shows nearly half of U.S. adults cannot afford quality healthcare, with anxiety rising about 2026 costs and access. The data, collected late in 2025, precedes policy shifts, and highlights stress across age groups and rural areas.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- The data indicate a steady deterioration in healthcare affordability since 2021, with 49% cost secure in 2025, down from 56% in 2021.
- Rural residents like Inger Perez face network limitations that constrain access, illustrating how plan choice translates into care quality.
- The figures suggest mounting stress for households, potentially influencing political considerations and voter behavior ahead of elections.
- Policy shifts, including Medicaid changes and ACA subsidy decisions, could further impact affordability and access.
Key questions for readers
- How might shifts in policy affect your healthcare costs next year?
- Are you choosing plans with lower networks to save monthly premiums at the expense of access?
- What local resources exist to help navigate rising costs?
How we got here
The West Health-Gallup Affordability Index tracks Americans’ access to quality care and affordability since 2021. In 2021, 56% were cost secure; by 2025, the figure fell to 49%. The survey underscores how inflation and policy changes affect households as midterm elections approach.
Our analysis
AP News reports the West Health-Gallup Affordability Index findings, with personal testimonies from individuals such as Weaver in Sanford, Florida, and Inger Perez in Encino, Texas. The Independent Business provides parallel coverage on the same dataset. The West Health-Gallup index measures cost security and perceived burden of healthcare expenses across 2021–2025.
Go deeper
- What new policy changes could most immediately affect your healthcare costs?
- Which United States regions show the sharpest declines in affordability?
- How are people in rural areas adapting to limited provider networks?
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Medicaid
Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources.