Insured adults want policy action in 2025 on healthcare coverage and costs amid rising financial stress, new polling finds

A recent national poll conducted by the PAN Foundation’s Center for Patient Research highlights the urgent need for policymakers to improve healthcare coverage and affordability in 2025, focusing on dental, vision, and hearing coverage, as well as limiting out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions and medical care.

More than one-third of adults with health insurance think that in 2025, policymakers should prioritize addressing coverage of dental, vision, and hearing services (39 percent), out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications (38 percent), and placing a cap on what people spend out-of-pocket cost for both prescription medications and medical care (37 percent each).

The poll also identifies the factors that insured adults are most concerned will impact their access to care in 2025, with the cost of dental, vision, and hearing services (28 percent), out-of-pocket prescription expenses (23 percent), and unexpected medical bills (22 percent) topping the list of concerns–supporting the need for action from policymakers.

These concerns also reflect respondents’ experiences in 2024, during which more than half (54 percent) reported financial stress due to their healthcare obligations and worsening physical health as a result.

Additional findings from the poll

Healthcare costs continued to rise and pose barriers last year, particularly for commercially insured adults and specific healthcare services.

• Commercially insured adults were significantly more likely (64 percent) than those with Medicare (46 percent) or Medicaid (21 percent) to have spent more than $500 on out-of-pocket healthcare expenses in 2024.
• Commercially insured adults (48 percent) were also more likely than those with Medicare (37 percent) or Medicaid (21 percent) to have seen an increase in their out-of-pocket healthcare costs in 2024 compared to 2023.
• In addition, one-fifth of all insured adults (21 percent) said the cost of dental, vision, or hearing services limited their access to care in 2024.

Financial stress is on the rise and a source of worsening health.

• More than half of insured adults (54 percent) reported experiencing stress due to healthcare-related financial obligations in 2024.
• However, commercially insured adults (61 percent) were most likely to feel this stress, reporting higher rates of financial stress than those with Medicaid (54 percent) or Medicare (42 percent).
• Among all respondents who reported experiencing financial stress due to their healthcare-related financial obligations, 55 percent said it worsened their physical health.

The cost of care negatively impacts personal budgets and forces challenging tradeoffs.

• One-fifth or more of insured adults reported that prescription medications (27 percent), dental care (24 percent), and doctor or specialist visits (22 percent) negatively impacted their personal budgets in 2024.
• To afford out-of-pocket healthcare costs in 2024, over 20 percent of insured adults reported cutting back on essentials (21 percent) or using credit cards or borrowing money (20 percent).

“These findings underscore the urgent need for policymakers to take meaningful action to improve access to and affordability of key healthcare services in 2025,” said Amy Niles, Chief Mission Officer at the PAN Foundation. “No one should have to experience high levels of financial stress to get the treatment they need. The data makes clear that people want policymakers to prioritize actions that protect their access to healthcare and financial well-being.”

Polling methodology

This poll was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the PAN Foundation between December 13-15, 2024, among a sample of 2,202 adults. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

About the PAN Foundation

As a leading charitable foundation and healthcare advocacy organization, the PAN Foundation is dedicated to accelerating access to treatment for those who need it most and empowering patients on their healthcare journeys. We provide critical financial assistance for treatment costs, advocate for policy solutions that expand access to care, and deliver education on complex topics—all driven by our belief that everyone deserves access to affordable, equitable healthcare. 

Since 2004, our financial assistance programs have helped more than 1.2 million people to start or stay on life-changing treatment. In addition, we’ve achieved major policy victories that increase access to care, mobilized patient advocates to call for change, and educated people nationwide on critical healthcare-related topics. We’re committed to working toward a future where equitable health outcomes are a reality for all. Learn more at panfoundation.org.