Less than half of U.S. adults have access to quality healthcare

A recent Gallup poll shows less than half of U.S. adults say they can consistently afford healthcare, or “Cost Secure,” a five-year low. The youngest and oldest experienced the most decline.

Adults aged 18 to 29 have experienced the sharpest decline in healthcare affordability since 2021, with the share classified as Cost Secure falling from 46% to 32%. This group also exhibited one of the largest year-over-year declines between 2024 and 2025, decreasing by seven percentage points.

Adults aged 65 and older, who are typically covered by Medicare, remain the most likely to be Cost Secure, but this group has also seen meaningful declines. The share of Cost Secure older adults fell from 73% in 2021 to 61% in 2025. Similar to young adults (those aged 18 to 29), those 65 and older showed a substantial year-over-year decline, from 69% in 2024 to 61% in 2025.

The poll is in collaboration with West Health, who has been tracking healthcare over the decade. There is more data on cost, quality, and access.