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Nearly half of Americans give the United States healthcare system a poor of failing grade, according to a new poll.
Gallup found that 44 percent of Americans graded the healthcare system either a D or F, according to a poll reviewed by Knewz.com. Meanwhile, only 22 percent of Americans gave the healthcare system an A or B grade.
Also, three in four Americans gave U.S. healthcare affordability a D or F grade. Of those grades, one in three gave the healthcare system an F.
Overall, Americans graded the U.S. healthcare system with a C-. The cost grade was even lower, with a D-.
Americans also gave healthcare low grades in equitable care (D+), access to care (C) and quality of care (C+).
"When members of my family have needed surgeries or medications [they] have to really consider how much medical debt they are willing to go into," Stef Schloo, 28, of Pennsylvania, one of the 5,500 Americans polled, said. "Our healthcare system forces us to try and make calculations between financial security and health just because of how expensive things are, and that's even with health insurance, so I can't imagine if you didn't have health insurance how fraught that would be."
Additionally, the poll found that more than a quarter of Americans (27 percent) said that if they needed quality healthcare today, they would not be able to afford it. Another 13 percent said that in the last three months there was a time when they could not afford needed medicine.
One in 14 Americans are considered to be cost desperate, meaning they avoid treatment because they cannot afford needed healthcare, Gallup reported.
Also, the poll found that only 7 percent of Americans believe that the healthcare system is high value.
The lack of healthcare has caused some people to worsen as well. According to the poll, nearly one in five Americans reported having a family member suffering from a health problem worsen because they could not afford to pay for care.
People also worry about healthcare being available in the future, as two in three Americans under 65 believe Medicare won't exist when they reach the age of eligibility.
Additionally, half of all Americans — approximately 129 million — have low confidence that they will be able to afford healthcare as they get older.
Overall, 7 percent of people are considered cost desperate, 32 percent are considered cost insecure and 61 percent are considered cost secure.
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's 2023 Health Statistics, the United States spent an estimated $12,555 per person on healthcare in 2022, which is nearly two times higher than the average wealthy country.
Healthcare spending is determined by utilization (the number of services used) and price, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
Despite the fact the U.S. spends the most among wealthy countries, the utilization rates do not differ much between the United States and other wealthy countries, meaning price for care is the main reason the U.S. spends so much on healthcare.
Administrative costs appear to be one of the main culprits behind the United States' high prices, as its price per capita is $925, which is nearly $400 more than the next-highest country, Switzerland.
Administrative costs in Japan and Sweden — which have the lowest price per capita — are significantly lower than in the United States ($70).
According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Japan is rated the best in effectiveness in most major healthcare issues.
