More conversations needed between patients and providers about healthcare access and affordability
A recent national poll from the PAN Foundation’s Center for Patient Research finds that about one in three patients (32 percent) are not having any conversations with their healthcare providers about their ability to access or afford their medications or treatments.
Among U.S. adults who received medication and/or treatment in the past 12 months, nearly half report their healthcare provider or member of their team did not ask them about their ability to access treatment (43 percent) or afford the out-of-pocket costs for their treatment (47 percent).
Nearly half of patients (48 percent) said their healthcare providers did not discuss any programs that could lower their treatment costs, such as manufacturer patient assistance programs, charitable patient assistance foundations, state or federal assistance programs, or clinical trials. And less than half of patients (45 percent) report that they started conversations with their healthcare professionals about their ability to access or afford treatment.
Other findings include:
Only 55 percent of patients report that their healthcare providers had conversations with them about both access and affordability issues.
The most common programs healthcare providers discussed with patients when it comes to lowering their treatment costs included copay savings or prescription discount programs (23 percent), financial assistance programs from pharmaceutical programs (16 percent), and financial assistance programs from independent charitable foundations (14 percent).
Nearly one in four patients (23 percent) did not have conversations with their healthcare providers about access and affordability issues because they did not believe their provider would be able to help them.
“This recent polling reinforces the need to better equip healthcare providers and patients to have conversations with each other about healthcare access and affordability issues that could impact one’s health outcomes,” said Amy Niles, Chief Mission Officer at the PAN Foundation. “Busy healthcare providers and their teams need resources and tools to help them start these conversations at the point of care. While at the same time, patients need to feel empowered to initiate these conversations and to feel confident that their healthcare providers and their teams will be able to help them when they are asked. At the PAN Foundation, we remain committed to empowering people along their healthcare journeys by providing educational resources and tools to navigate complex topics. This includes resources on navigating financial assistance programs, participating in clinical trials, understanding recent Medicare Part D reforms, and other access and affordability issues that could impact their care. Because we believe everyone deserves access to affordable, equitable healthcare.”
Resources to learn more
- PAN’s educational resources
- How to find financial assistance for your prescription medications
- Clinical trial resources for healthcare providers
- Medicare education resources
Polling methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States on May 9, 2025, among 2,089 adults (aged 18 and over) by The Harris Poll on behalf of PAN Foundation via its Harris On Demand omnibus product. Included in the 2,089 adults were 1,292 adults with any chronic condition, defined as those who self-report having been diagnosed by a healthcare provider with at least one of several specific chronic conditions, and 1,389 adults who has received medication and/or treatment in the past twelve months.
Data were weighted where necessary by age, gender, race/ethnicity, region, education, marital status, household size, household income, [employment], and political party affiliation, to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.
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 1.3 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 towards a future where equitable health outcomes are a reality for all. Learn more at panfoundation.org.