More than two-thirds of New Yorkers experienced at least one healthcare affordability burden in the past year, and 4 in 5 worry about affordability in the future, a new survey found.
The survey, by the Community Service Society of New York and Altarum, reached more than 1,400 adults in New York state.
Two-thirds of respondents delayed or went without healthcare due to cost over the past 12 months. Those in households with a person with a disability reported the highest rates of forgoing care (76%) and rationing medication due to cost (31%). Respondents of color also had higher rates of avoiding or having difficulty accessing care compared to white respondents.
In a virtual press conference announcing the findings, Democratic state Sen. Liz Krueger advocated for consumers. “We’re paying a lot more, but we’re not getting better healthcare outcomes,” she said.
Proposed legislation like the Fair Pricing Act, supported by most New Yorkers, would require data reporting requirements and set neutral payment policies. “All of this will lead us to a more efficient, lower-cost system,” said Krueger, who represents part of Manhattan. This legislation has received pushback from hospitals, though recent research has found the bill could’ve saved more than $1 billion in healthcare costs in 2022 alone if it were implemented then.
Krueger also highlighted her concerns about the potential for the Trump administration to cut Medicaid funding. Millions of New Yorkers who are on Medicaid would be impacted, she said: “The crucialness of getting our arms around what our costs are, how can we reduce those… and letting consumers know, is just common sense.”
Of the many New Yorkers worried about affording healthcare in the future, top concerns included the cost of nursing home or home care services, followed by health insurance costs, medical costs when elderly and medical costs in the event of a serious illness or accident. More than half were also concerned about prescription drugs becoming unaffordable. Even three-quarters of those earning more than $100,000 per year reported concerns about affordability, and more than half reported an affordability burden in the past 12 months.
For solutions, respondents want government intervention
Three-quarters of respondents agreed the healthcare system in the U.S. needs to change.
More than half of respondents indicated that healthcare is a top issue the government should address in the upcoming year, followed by the economy (41%) and immigration (39%). Respondents want the government to address high healthcare costs. They also want public officials to preserve consumer protections that would prevent people from being denied coverage or charged more for having a preexisting medical condition. And, they want improvements to Medicare and to broaden access to insurance for those who can’t afford coverage.
Between 2000 and 2024, there were 53 hospital closures and a reduction of nearly a fifth of beds across the state due to changes in ownership involving hospitals, according to a report on the survey findings. Though the state has some authority to approve or deny nonprofit hospital transactions, it doesn't monitor the impact such changes have on local healthcare prices. A third of respondents were aware of an M&A in their market, and most said they or a family member could not access their preferred provider due to such a deal.
Nearly all respondents supported policies like making it easy to switch insurers if a plan drops their doctor and requiring drug companies to provide advance notice, and justification, of price hikes. Nearly all also supported authorizing the attorney general to take legal action to prevent price gouging, requiring providers and payers to offer upfront cost estimates and capping out-of-pocket costs of drugs like insulin.
Most respondents also supported policies that would require routine healthcare services to cost the same no matter the facility and create an independent office to monitor statewide healthcare spending. These policies were strongly supported across party lines, regardless of respondents identifying as Republican, Democrat or neither.