DESPERATE

Staggering Number of Americans Skip Meals to Pay for Healthcare

A new survey says 28 million Americans have resorted to drastic measures to afford healthcare.

A staggering number of Americans are skipping meals in order to pay healthcare costs as prices rise under Donald Trump, according to a new survey.

The survey by the West Health–Gallup Center on Healthcare, conducted from June to August 2025, revealed that 11 percent of Americans, or 28 million people, said they had skipped a meal to pay for healthcare in the last 12 months.

Among Americans with health insurance, 9 percent said they had skipped a meal. Among Americans without insurance, that number jumped to 27 percent.

Overall, roughly one in three Americans—about 82 million people—are cutting back on basic expenses to cover healthcare costs, driving less to save on gas or cutting back on utilities.

That includes 29 percent of insured Americans and 62 percent of Americans without health insurance.

More than half of adults in households earning under $24,000 report making daily sacrifices, such as cutting meals or other expenses, to cover healthcare. Even among higher earners, millions report similar trade-offs.

Those in poor or fair health are hit hardest, with 62 percent of those in poor health saying they make everyday sacrifices, and 47 percent of those in fair health.

A recent poll by the health policy organization KFF found that healthcare costs now top public economic concerns, ahead of food, gas, and utilities.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans are bracing for sharply higher health insurance costs after enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025. These temporary subsidies, first expanded under the American Rescue Plan Act and extended through 2025, helped cap marketplace premiums at no more than 8.5 percent of income for many enrollees.

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But without them, the average cost of ACA premiums could more than double in 2026.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that roughly 4 million people could lose coverage if Congress does not act to renew the credits.

As a result, affordability and healthcare costs have become a major flashpoint of the 2026 midterms.

SICK OF IT

Record Number of Americans See Healthcare Crisis Under Trump

Tom Latchem

A KFF Health Tracking Poll from January found that a majority of voters say healthcare costs will influence their vote in November’s midterms.

That could be bad news for the Republicans after a December Gallup survey found that 23 percent of U.S. adults described the nation’s healthcare system as being “in a state of crisis,” while another 47 percent said it has “major problems.”

That includes 81 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans.

Gallup also found 29 percent of people cited high costs as the country’s most urgent health problem. Overall, only 16 percent of Americans said they are satisfied with the total cost of U.S. healthcare.

In response to a request for comment, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said: “Addressing healthcare affordability is a top priority for the Trump administration, which is why Congress should swiftly pass President Trump’s Great Healthcare Plan to lower insurance premiums, increase transparency, and further reduce drug prices.”

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