By any measure, consumers are worried about healthcare costs
Polls, both recent and those conducted over time, measure dissatisfaction with the price of care, also impacting perceptions of overall quality.
A variety of polls continue to affirm that U.S. consumers are worried about healthcare costs, and that those concerns are at recent historical highs.
Costs, these polls indicate, color other perceptions about the industry and whether consumers are confident in whether the industry will have their best interests in mind in helping them manage the economic component of care.
And one of the most recently conducted polls finds consumers overwhelmed the complexity of the current system and how to make the best choices for their needs. These cross-currents continue to produce negative perceptions of the industry and causes consumers to question whether it meets their needs when they are in vulnerable situations.
Complexity is chaos
The array of choices is overwhelming consumers, according to survey results released in January by Softheon, a healthcare technology company, and W3LL, one of its subsidiaries.
In the survey, nearly nine of 10 consumers reported at least one “significant” concern when selecting coverage. Researchers reported that those concerns ranged from determining the right level of care to managing mounting costs.
Of the 1,000 consumers questioned for the research, 67 percent cited high costs as their primary worry. Because many consumers depend on work-based insurance coverage, losing or changing jobs adds uncertainty to the mix. Some 36 percent reported being afraid of losing their coverage because of employment changes. The survey found that only 14 percent of respondents expressed confidence in their selection of a health insurance plan. “Cost clarity emerged as a top factor in building healthcare confidence, cited by 52 percent of respondents,” the researchers contended.
"With only 14 percent of consumers feeling confident in their health plan selection, the industry has an opportunity to improve how we present and implement health insurance to keep members at the center,” says Kevin Deutsch, senior vice president at Softheon. “By focusing on simplicity, transparency and personalized support, we can help people make more informed decisions and increase confidence in healthcare coverage, whether they are pursuing traditional employer-sponsored coverage or investigating newer options.”
Continuing negative perceptions
Consumer concerns about costs, as well as perceptions about quality, have affected their views about the industry at large.
A late 2024 survey by Gallup found that 51 percent of those surveyed have a somewhat negative or very negative perception of the healthcare industry, compared with 31 percent who have a very or somewhat positive perception of the industry. Perceptions of the industry have remained negative every year since 2001 every year except 2020, when the nation was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the perception of the pharmaceutical industry was a combined 61 percent somewhat negative or very negative, the lowest level recorded over the last 23 years.
According to those surveyed by Gallup, cost remained the single most important health problem facing the country seven of the last 10 years, supplanted by virus concerns during 2020 and 2021 and access to services in 2017. Nearly a quarter of the country cited cost as the most urgent concern in 2024.
These concerns are coloring perceptions of quality care, Gallup data indicates. Over the last three years, an average of 18.7 percent of respondents said the quality of healthcare in the U.S. is poor. During the same three years, more than half of respondents said the quality of care was either fair or poor. Nearly half of respondents aid the U.S. healthcare system was below average or the worst of care systems in all other modern industrialized countries.
Dissatisfaction with the cost of care was 79 percent in 2024 and 81 percent in 2023, consistent with price dissatisfaction in all of Gallup’s past surveys. Fully a third of respondents say they are very worried about being able to pay medical costs in the event of a serious illness or accident.
Putting off care
Similar consumer perception results were reported by KFF, an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism.
In 2024, the organization’s survey found that about half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford healthcare costs; along those lines, one in four respondents said they or a family member in their household had problems paying for healthcare in the past 12 months.
KFF research also indicates that the cost of healthcare is causing delays in care. “One in four adults say that, in the past 12 months, they have skipped or postponed getting healthcare they needed because of the cost,” the researchers said. “Notably, six in 10 uninsured adults (61 percent) say they went without needed care because of the cost.”
Unexpectedly large medical bills remain a constant worry for many consumers, KFF reported. “Notable shares of adults still say they are worried about affording medical costs such as unexpected bills, the cost of healthcare services … prescription drug costs, and long-term care services for themselves or a family member,” it notes.
Will 2025 bring relief?
This emphasis additionally is likely to have an impact on politics. This past summer before general elections, a survey by Pew found that healthcare was the third highest priority for voters, mentioned by 57 percent of respondents.
In survey results released in January, in advance of the Trump administration taking power, more than six in 10 (61 percent) say boosting price transparency rules to ensure healthcare prices are available to patients should be a “top priority.” More than half of respondents (55 percent) also said that more closely regulating the process used by health insurance companies when they approve or deny services or prescription drugs should be a top priority.
However, most respondents expect little relief from rising healthcare prices, data from KFF indicates. “Few Americans now expect healthcare costs for them and their family members to become more affordable over the next few years,” researchers noted. “In fact, more than half (57 percent) of the public – including 54 percent of Trump voters – say they expect the cost of healthcare to become less affordable.“ No more than 20 percent of respondents of any voting bloc expect healthcare to become more affordable going in the near future.
And there’s little relief expected, KFF predicted in October 2024, noting that the average cost for a family health insurance plan offered through an employer increased 7 percent in 2024 to $25,572, according to its annual employer health benefits survey. It was the second consecutive year for that level of increase. “The average cost of family health insurance has surged 24 percent since 2019, while paycheck deductions for workers increased just 5 percent over the same period. Employers are absorbing most of these expenses,” the USA Today article indicated.
Healthcare organizations understand the importance of affordability and the need to seek solutions that help patients manage care costs.
In a statement in advance of a July 2024 hearing by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the American Hospital Association noted that, “America’s hospitals and health systems — physicians, nurses and other caregivers — understand and share concerns regarding the high cost of healthcare and are working hard to make care more affordable by transforming the way healthcare is delivered in our communities.”
However, it noted that “real change will require an effort by everyone involved, including providers, the government, employers and individuals, device makers, drug manufacturers, insurers and other stakeholders.”
No matter the approach, it’s clear that something needs to be done, said Sophia Tripoli, senior director of health policy at Families USA at hearing by the Senate Committee on Aging about lowering the high cost of healthcare.
“No one in America should have to choose between going to see their doctor and buying groceries to feed their family, yet almost half of all Americans don’t get needed medical care because of the cost, and 48 million older Americans fear they won’t be able to afford lifesaving care,” said Tripoli in her testimony. “Every American knows that we pay too much for the healthcare we get. But many Americans don’t know why. Because healthcare industry consolidation, particularly among hospitals, has eliminated competition and allowed monopolistic pricing to push our nation’s families to the brink of financial ruin.”