1 in 3 say they cut back elsewhere to pay for health care: Survey

Roughly one-third of Americans cut back on at least one daily expense to afford health care last year, according to a new West Health/Gallup survey.

The poll, released Wednesday, found that about 33 percent of the 19,535 respondents surveyed cut back on an expense to pay for health care. That is the equivalent of more than 82 million Americans.

The poll was conducted from June 9 through Aug. 25. It has a margin of error of 1.3 percent. 

Among those who do not have health insurance, 62 percent said they made such trade-offs. Nearly 3 in 10 with insurance said they made at least one sacrifice. 

As of 2024, more than 305 million Americans, or roughly 92 percent of the population, have health insurance, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

A separate West Health/Gallup survey of 5,660 adults conducted last year found that 6 percent of respondents reported postponing having or adopting a child due to health care costs, while 9 percent said they postponed their retirement and 14 percent said they delayed buying a new home.

That study was conducted from Oct. 27 through Dec. 22, with a margin of error of 2.1 percent. 

The results come as open enrollment in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace plans dropped by roughly 1.2 million from last year to this year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Last year marked four straight years of record enrollment in ACA Marketplace plans. But enhanced premium credits offered by the American Rescue Plan and extended by the Inflation Reduction Act — both signed into law by former President Biden — expired at the end of last year, leading to premiums increasing for millions of Americans.

While 17 Republicans joined every voting Democrat to pass a three-year extension of the subsidies in the House after the holidays, the bill has stalled in the GOP-led Senate.