Californians are more concerned about unexpected medical bills than any other expense by 2025 — even housing — according to a new study by the California Health Care Foundation.
Two-thirds of Californians say they are worried about paying unexpected health care bills, while 48% are worried about paying rent or a mortgage, and 47% are worried about buying food, according to the nonprofit, Oakland-based nonprofit.
“It’s shocking, actually,” said Kristof Stremikis, director of market analysis and insights at the foundation, given the high cost of housing and groceries in the state.
The last time concerns about staggering medical bills raised the poll was in 2022, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged. Foundation and non-partisan voters at the University of Chicago conduct this survey each year.
In 2023 and 2024, it found that Californians were most concerned about paying for gas and other transportation costs. Gasoline prices soared past $6 per gallon in the Bay Area, and lawmakers tried to stabilize the state’s gas supply, with mixed results.
Concord resident Lorraine DaRosa, 69, is living with the kind of medical financial stress that many Californians worry about.
She was diagnosed with cervical cancer 20 years ago and underwent surgery which left her cancer free. He was relieved that he did not have to undergo chemotherapy afterwards.
But the potentially life-saving procedure came at a steep price: DaRosa said she’s on track for at least $70,000 in debt, something she and her husband — a warehouse worker — are struggling to cover while paying the mortgage.
DaRosa said her medical bill has continued to grow since then, even though she is covered by Anthem Blue Cross insurance through her husband’s employer, she said.
“It creates anxiety,” he said.
Federal cuts to the Social Security health insurance program for low-income people in President Donald Trump’s signature One Big, Beautiful Bill Act are expected to increase the number of uninsured and underinsured, experts say. Also, voters take their polls in October and November, when health care costs take up a lot of space in US politics.
The survey took place during the longest federal government shutdown in US history, when Democrats in Congress tried and failed to force Republicans to extend tax credits that reduced the cost of insurance purchased under the Affordable Care Act and brought in $2.5 billion in savings for Californians. Since those credits expire at the end of 2025, new enrollments in California’s health insurance market have dropped 32%, state officials said this week.
In addition, health insurance providers raised premiums for subsidized and employer-sponsored plans earlier this year, in part because those tax credits expired, and because of the widespread use of expensive drugs like Ozempic.
The survey found that Californians do not like change. One in 10 Californians thought the Big, Good Bill would have a positive impact on their family’s ability to afford health care, the survey found.
Even registered Republicans seem weak, the survey found: 42% said they favored the law, 45% said they were unsure and 13% said they had an unfavorable view.
Health care is likely to be a top issue this year as Republicans and Democrats campaign for control of Congress.
A separate recent survey by the non-partisan group KFF found that US citizens are most concerned about the cost of health care, and most are expected to pay more for care this year. More independent voters favor Democrats than Republicans on this issue, the survey found.
With funding from the California Health Care Foundation, Chicago pollsters surveyed 2,552 adults in California. The sample was designed to represent the population of the province, and the margin of error of the survey was plus or minus three percentage points.
High pressures:
Californians are more worried about paying for unexpected medical expenses than housing or groceries, according to a new study by the California Health Care Foundation.
64% they are worried about paying unexpected health care bills
48% they are worried about making rent or housing payments
47% they are worried about paying for food
