One third of Americans concerned about their ability to afford healthcare, poll shows

Healthcare policy has been front-and-center this election season, with Democratic presidential contenders wrangling over proposals ranging from Medicare For All to a souped-up version of the Affordable Care Act; those plans contrast with GOP calls for a more market-based system. The debate over the future of American healthcare comes as a significant number of Americans are concerned about affording their healthcare.

A new NBC News/Commonwealth Fund survey shows that three in 10 likely voters are worried about being able to afford health insurance and costs for prescription drugs and other healthcare over the next year. Among the most worried are Democrats, blacks, Hispanics, and people earning under $50,000

Nearly 80% of likely voters believe reducing healthcare costs should be a high priority for the next president. Close to one in five Republicans also said they're very or moderately worried about paying for their care.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT

For many people, worries about paying for healthcare are rooted in experience. One in five likely voters said they had difficulty paying medical bills, or were unable to pay them, in the past two years. Of those reporting medical bill problems, many said they had resorted to extreme measures to pay bills, including dipping into retirement funds or selling personal items like jewelry or furniture.

Regardless of who is elected president in November, large majorities of likely voters think he or she should make it a top priority to reduce the amount people pay for healthcare. Nearly four-fifths of likely voters think that reducing what people pay for health insurance -- including premiums and deductibles -- and what they pay out of pocket for prescription drugs and other healthcare should all be high priorities.

While Democrats and people leaning Democratic were significantly more likely to say this compared to Republicans and people leaning Republican, the majority who are Republican and Republican-leaning still think these initiatives should be a high priority.

More than half of likely voters said they are very or somewhat confident that if a Democrat became the next president, he or she would work to make healthcare more affordable for them. On this same question, just over four of 10 likely voters said they are very or somewhat confident in President Trump if he is reelected. The difference in confidence in the Democratic nominee versus President Trump was widest among blacks, young adults, Hispanics, and women.

Not surprisingly, Democrats and Republicans had much greater confidence that a president from their own party would make their healthcare more affordable.

THE LARGER TREND

During last week's debate in Nevada, each candidate said they supported expanding public healthcare in some form. While Senator Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All plan would be a stem-to-stern overhaul of the current system, Senator Elizabeth Warren's MFA proposal is more gradual, with a slow roll-out that would allow Americans, at least initially, to keep their current insurance.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Amy Klobuchar took a more measured approach, saying Americans should be able to keep their private insurance even while the government offers a public option. Biden's plan would essentially expand on the ACA.

Klobuchar today announced she was dropping out of the race.

While Democrats sparred, a study published in The Lancet began garnering attention for its central finding: that a Medicare for All plan would save the healthcare system about $450 billion annually, translating to savings for the average American family of about $2,400 per year.

The Lancet research argued that other plans would increase costs owing to the lack of savings from overhead, pharmaceutical costs, hospital/clinician fees and fraud detection.

Twitter: @JELagasse

Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com