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West Health

Since 2018, West Health and Gallup have partnered to track perceptions of aging and the U.S. healthcare system in relation to quality, affordability, equity and access to give voice to the American experience. The goal is to identify strengths, weaknesses, issues and trends that can better inform public policy, and healthcare practice and delivery.

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Featured Report

2022 Healthcare in America Report: America’s Report Card on the U.S. Healthcare System

How do Americans feel about the state of U.S. healthcare?

The 2022 Healthcare in America Report examines how Americans feel about the U.S. healthcare system. In this study, a nationally representative sample of more than 5,500 Americans was asked to grade the U.S. healthcare system overall, and then grade it specifically on its affordability, equity, accessibility and quality.

The grades are in, but high marks are in short supply. Almost half of Americans across the political and socioeconomic spectrum give D’s or F’s to the nation’s medical system, with affordability receiving the most failing grades.

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West Health-Gallup 2022 Healthcare in America report cover

The Data

Healthcare Indices

In 2021, West Health and Gallup developed two indices -- the West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index and Healthcare Value Index -- to discover the impact of the current cost of healthcare on Americans and identify those most at risk. These indices track the affordability of, value of and access to healthcare, including prescription drugs.

Affordability Index

The Healthcare Affordability Index evaluates three key factors that represent the consequences of Americans’ inability to afford healthcare. To learn more, view the data visualization.

Value Index

The Healthcare Value Index is comprised of three key perceptions that determine the system's value. To learn more, view the data visualization.

Survey Methods

Results are based on surveys conducted June 21-30, 2022, with 5,584 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia as part of the Gallup Panel^TM. For results based on these samples of national adults, the margin of sampling error at the 95% confidence level is ±1.6 percentage points for response percentages around 50% and ±1.0 percentage points for response percentages around 10% or 90%, design effect included. For reported subgroups, the margin of error will be larger, typically ranging from ±3 to ±4 percentage points. All demographic group comparisons in the report are significant at p<.05 unless otherwise noted.

Prior Gallup Panel surveys were administered by web Sept. 27-30 and Oct. 18-21, 2021 (n=6,663), March 15-21, 2021 (n=3,905), and June 14-20, 2021 (n=4,843). The June 2022 and September-October 2021 results were obtained on a West Health survey solely asking about healthcare issues, whereas the March and June 2021 measurements were asked toward the end of Gallup's ongoing coronavirus pandemic tracking survey.

44% of American adults give the U.S. healthcare system a D or F grade, and 75% give healthcare affordability a D or F.

18% of Americans -- nearly one in five -- report that they have had a health problem worsen after being unable to pay for needed care. This problem is worse for women and people of color.

27% of adults, representing about 70 million Americans, report that if they needed access to quality care today, they would not be able to afford it.