A majority of U.S. adults express a high level of concern about their health care costs increasing over the next year, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The Associated Press-NORC poll, conducted in mid-October, shows nearly 6 in 10 respondents are “extremely” or “very” concerned about rising health care costs this coming year — at 32 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
Another 26 percent said they’re “somewhat” concerned, 8 percent said they’re “not too concerned” and 8 percent said they’re “not concerned at all.”
The concern extended across age groups and includes people with and without health insurance, the AP noted, but the poll found women were more likely than men to be “extremely” or “very” concerned about rising health care costs: at 63 percent and 51 percent, respectively.
The poll comes amid the ongoing government shutdown, which has centered on Democrats’ insistence that the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies be extended.
The tax credits are slated to expire at the end of the year, which is expected to increase insurance premiums for millions of Americans, while others are expected to lose their health insurance entirely.
The poll shows 38 percent of Americans surveyed were either “extremely” or “very” concerned about losing or not having health insurance, while 23 percent were “somewhat” concerned and 39 percent were “not too concerned” or “not concerned at all.”
The AP-NORC poll reached 1,289 adults from Oct. 9-13. The margin of error is 3.8 percentage points.
