Affordable Health Care in Jeopardy for Millions

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Lawmakers are set to leave Washington this week for the holidays, without extending the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax subsidies. With millions of people facing dramatic health care cost spikes if those credits end January 1, a recent KFF polling and data compilation offers context on health care cost burdens, underscoring the importance of meaningful access to affordable, high-quality coverage.

Millions already struggle with health care affordability:

Nearly half of adults say it is difficult to afford their health care costs. Among those under age 65, uninsured adults are much more likely to have trouble affording care (82%) than those with health insurance coverage (42%).

The cost of health care can lead some people to go without needed care. About one-third (36%) of all adults skipped or postponed care in the past year due to affordability concerns. Here too, the uninsured bore a heavy burden. They were more likely to forgo care (75%) than their insured counterparts, but those with coverage still struggled: About four in ten insured adults (37%) reported putting off care.

High prescription drug costs are also barriers to care. In the past year, one-third of all adults (33%) took at least one measure to save costs on prescription drugs, such as not picking up their prescribed medication (21%), taking over-the-counter drugs instead (23%), and cutting pills in half or skipping doses (15%).

https://www.medicarerights.org/medicare-watch/2025/12/18/affordable-health-care-in-jeopardy-for-millions