Many Americans Say U.S. Health Care is in Trouble, Poll Finds

Key Takeaways

  • Nearly a quarter of Americans say the health care system is in crisis.

  • High costs rather than access are the top health care concern

  • Many people delay or cancel care altogether because they worry about the price

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Nearly 1 in 4 Americans believe the U.S. health care system is in crisis, and high costs are the top reason why, according to a new poll.

The data, released Dec. 15 by Gallup Inc., showed that 29% of adults consider the biggest health problem facing the country to be the cost of care. 

Another 23% said the health care system is either in crisis or has major problems, one of the highest levels Gallup has ever recorded.

Gallup surveyed about 1,300 adults between Nov. 3 and Nov. 25. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

About 81% of Democrats and 64% of Republicans said the health care system is in serious trouble, the poll also showed.

Cost worries are growing faster than concerns about access. Many people now say the problem isn’t that they lack insurance, it’s that they can’t afford to use it.

"It’s not that they don’t have the plans," Lydia Saad, director of U.S. social research at Gallup, told The Washington Post. “They can’t afford the plans.”

Lawmakers recently argued over whether to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies. Those subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year.

If that happens, average insurance premiums could more than double, according to estimates from KFF, a nonprofit that studies health care policy.

Public concern about health care costs has risen sharply since last year. Gallup also found that worry about costs rose 12 percentage points among Democrats and 10 points among Republicans. 

Among independents? Concern stayed about the same.

Gallup found a long-standing divide in how Americans view health care costs. In all, 16% said they are satisfied with the overall cost of U.S. health care, but 57% said they are satisfied with what they personally pay.

That gap may reflect fear of what could happen during a medical emergency.

"Even if they’re not having trouble paying for it today," surprise bills could cause serious financial harm, Liz Hamel, vice president of public opinion research at KFF, told The Post.

A recent KFF survey found that more than one-third of Americans had delayed or skipped medical care because of cost. About 1 in 5 said their health got worse as a result.

“Health care is a pocketbook issue for people,” Hamel said.

More information

KFF has more on health care costs and affordability.

SOURCES: The Washington Post, Dec. 15, 2025; Gallup Inc., Dec. 15, 2025

What This Means For You

New data shows that health care costs continue to remain a major worry, even for folks who have insurance.

Originally published on healthday.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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