KFF Health Care Costs Poll: Economic Anxiety Impacts Spending
Here’s a breakdown of the key findings from the provided text, focusing on economic anxiety and healthcare affordability in the U.S.:
Overall Economic Anxiety:
* Rising Concerns: A majority (53%) of U.S.adults report it has been harder to earn a living as January, while only 4% say it’s been easier.
* Disproportionate impact: economic hardship is significantly higher among:
* LGBT adults (73%)
* Those with incomes under $40,000 (70%)
* Young adults (ages 18-29) (69%)
* Hispanic adults (66%)
* Women (57% vs. 49% of men)
healthcare Affordability:
* Significant Issue: Nearly three in ten adults (28%) report problems affording healthcare in the past year, a slight increase from previous years.
* Widespread Problem: Even those with higher incomes ($90,000+) are affected - 19% struggled with healthcare costs and 18% with prescription drug costs.
* Insurance Type Matters: Those with less secure coverage are more likely to struggle:
* Uninsured (68% report difficulty earning a living)
* Medicaid (72% report difficulty earning a living)
* Self-purchased insurance (68% report difficulty earning a living)
* Compared to:
* Employer-sponsored insurance (49% report difficulty earning a living)
* Medicare (27% report difficulty earning a living)
Financial Struggles Beyond healthcare:
* Many households are struggling with basic necessities:
* 37% had trouble affording food.
* 30% had trouble paying rent/mortgage.
In essence,the data shows that economic anxiety is widespread,and the rising cost of healthcare is a major contributing factor,impacting people across various demographics and income levels.