Unexpected medical bills and the overall cost of healthcare are the biggest expenses that American adults worry about, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll, with 75% of adults saying they are “very” or “somewhat worried” about being able to afford unexpected medical bills or the healthcare services in general for themselves and their families.
These costs topped all other concerns, including gas and transportation, utilities, food, paying down debt, housing costs and all other sources of economic anxiety, the poll found. Just over half of those polled were “very” or “somewhat worried” about prescription costs, and about half worried about being able to afford their monthly health insurance premium.
The results are somewhat surprising — headlines about rising inflation and overall concerns about the economy don’t drill down as specifically to this topic: What worries Americans?
It’s also interesting that these concerns are very much the same for Republicans, Democrats and independents. The poll found 75 % of Republicans, 72% of Democrats and 72% of independents worried about the cost of health care services. Likewise, 78% of Republicans, 71% of Democrats and 74% of independents were very or somewhat worried about unexpected medical bills.
Paradoxically, when voters were asked why they describe the economy negatively, the reasons were the cost of groceries and transportation, inflation, housing costs, and the federal debt. In fifth place was the cost of healthcare — despite what they said about their concerns on what they can afford.
Strikingly, voters split on party lines over who they thought had a better plan for the future of the Affordable Care Act. The poll found that 90% of Democratic voters say President Biden has the better approach, and 91% of Republicans say Donald Trump does. “Although the vast majority of Republicans say Trump has a better approach to the ACA, few (30%) Republican voters think Trump has a health care plan to replace it,” the Kaiser authors wrote.
The Affordable Care Act continues to be popular, with 59% of those surveyed approving of it — although Republicans often talk about repealing it. The poll found that 77% of Democrats want the next President and Congress to expand it, while — despite its general popularity — 23% of Republicans want it to be scaled back and 39% want it repealed.
