36% of Adults Skipped Health Appointments Last Year Because of Cost

Recent data highlighted in an Elevance Health report underscore mounting cost-driven barriers to care access: 36% of U.S. adults report skipping physician visits due to cost, while family insurance premiums have increased 52% over the past decade, contributing to national health care expenditures exceeding $5 trillion annually.

Hospital spending rose 10% in 2023–2024—the fastest rate in over 30 years—and prescription drug spending climbed 8% in 2024. The report also identifies implementation failures in the No Surprises Act as an unintended cost driver. Proposed solutions center on site-neutral payment models, real-time data sharing, fraud reduction, and integrating social determinants into care coordination. Read the full article by Axios here.