FACT SHEET: The Affordability Crisis: People’s Lived Experience

Health care costs continue to rapidly rise and directly impact every decision people make about their care, including the decision to delay or skip care altogether. Over the last six years, United States of Care (USofCare) has spent over 5,000 hours listening to more than 30,000 people across all 50 states to better understand people’s current perceptions, priorities, and challenges with the health care system. Our findings are clear – people prioritize cost above any other issue in the health care system. It is clear that affordability challenges will continue to intensify over time and that policymakers need to take action to address them. 

The new fact sheet below from USofCare summarizes these findings and illustrates how people across the country view affordability in health care.