The data: Even as US gas prices have surged roughly 50% since the start of the Iran war, healthcare costs remain US adults’ top financial concern, according to April KFF tracking data.

• 64% of respondents report being somewhat (34%) or very (30%) worried about affording healthcare for themselves and their families, while just 13% say they’re not at all worried.
• Consumers' concerns about healthcare costs are largely unchanged since KFF’s January poll.
• Yet, the share of people who are very worried (30%) about affording healthcare is the highest of any expense tested—edging out even newer worries like gas and transportation (29%).
• Smaller shares report being very worried about affording groceries (23%), utilities (21%), or rent/mortgage (21%).

Why it matters: Hospital care and prescription drugs have long been expensive and unpredictable. But consumers now see healthcare costs as part of their routine expenses, growing harder to afford week by week, not just during major procedures or treatments.

With ACA enhanced tax subsidies ending, many enrollees now face an immediate affordability crisis:

• Premiums and deductibles are reaching unsustainable levels. Following a May New York Times analysis, some enrollees are seeing monthly premium hikes of $1,000 or more, while others are fleeing to plans with deductibles topping $10,000.
• Enrollees are being dropped from plans for not paying their higher premiums. New CMS data (not yet made public) cited by Notus reveals that 21% of HealthCare.gov enrollees were dropped for non-payment this year, a sharp climb from 12% in the previous cycle.
• State ACA markets are feeling the contraction. Reports from Axios indicate that insurers in several states are seeing ACA enrollment declines of up to 30%

Implications for healthcare companies: Healthcare affordability is poised to become a central political issue heading into the midterms and the 2028 election. Lawmakers in both parties will discuss proposals aimed at lowering out-of-pocket costs—especially for those with inadequate insurance—across prescription drugs and medical care. Additional ideas will be floated to target the unchecked influence of for-profit healthcare conglomerates.

Systemic barriers temper consumer expectations for transformative change anytime soon. The healthcare landscape remains stubbornly complex, with its entrenched cost structures and limited pricing negotiations. Consequently, consumers are wary of any political fanfare about lowering healthcare costs: just 12% of people believe it’s very likely the Trump administration’s push to get Big Pharma to cut some drug prices will reduce their own Rx costs, according to March KFF polling.

Healthcare brands can build goodwill by taking near-term steps to help fill the affordability gap. Healthcare lacks the easy private label or cheaper-item alternatives that exist in areas like retail or grocery. But pharma companies, insurers, and medical care providers can offer short-term relief in the form of discounted or free services, ACA marketplace late-payment forgiveness, drug coupons, and clearer promotion of lower-cost generics while longer-term fixes take shape.

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