Half of U.S. adults (48%) are very to extremely worried about having to pay more for their health care or health insurance, and only 8% are not worried at all. Those ages 45 to 64 years old are most worried (56%), whereas the younger generation (ages 18 to 34) are least worried (37%).

Americans are not as worried about losing their health insurance coverage altogether, though fully a third (35%) of adults are very or extremely worried. As would be expected, those ages 65 years and older are least worried (22% not at all worried) due to their Medicare coverage, and they are followed closely by the 18 to 34 year olds (18% not at all worried).

These are some of the results of a Harris Interactive®/HealthDay Poll conducted online within the United States between February 25 and 27, 2009 among a national cross section of 2,078 adults age 18 and over.

The majority of U.S. adults are worried (65% somewhat, very, extremely) about being able to afford medical care and prescription medications. The 18-34 year old age group is least worried (54%), while the 45-54 year old age group is most worried (76%). This results in proportions of U.S. adults not taking care of their health due to cost. Most notably, one-third (34%) did not see a dentist although they needed dental care, close to one-third (28%) had a medical problem but did not visit a doctor, and one-fifth (22%) did not fill a prescription.

The high levels of non-compliance because of the cost of medical care remain similar to 2007 and 2008 results. For example, in 2007 and 2008, 21% and 22%, respectively, did not fill a prescription because of cost. The percentage of those who took a medication less often than directed has been steady since 2007 (19% in 2007, 17% in 2008, and 18% in 2009). According to Humphrey Taylor, Chairman of The Harris Poll®, “Many people are very worried. But the number of those who have lost their insurance recently is not enough to increase the already large number of patients who are non-compliant -- yet.”

Those ages 45-54 years old are most likely to be non-compliant because of the cost of care. And it gets worse for those without insurance. For example, 55% of the uninsured did not see a dentist and 51% did not see a doctor when needed (vs. 30% and 24% among those with insurance, respectively).

U.S. healthcare costs have grown to $2.5 trillion annually and the number of uninsured to some 46 million people. We consistently rank lower than other developed countries in preventing and treating many diseases. On March 5th, 2009, the President held the first White House forum on health reform, to which he invited more than 120 people who hold a wide range of views on how to fix the system. President Obama told the crowd, "Health care reform is no longer just a moral imperative, it is a fiscal imperative. If we want to create jobs and rebuild our economy, then we must address the crushing cost of health care this year, in this administration."

Taylor commented, "Unfortunately, health care reform, however effective and however quickly it is implemented, it is not going to happen fast enough to address the financial problems of those who cannot afford needed care. However, it may ease their worries about the future."