On 4/22/2025 at 1:22 PM, CharonY said:

That is exactly why I specified "developed countries" as in the vast majority the availability is not an issue. Affordability might be an issue in a few of these countries, but that wouldn't be addressed by having folks walking around with vaccines in their pocket. I took the suggestion as a means to increase availability.

According to a 2022 West Health-Gallup survey, approximately 45% of U.S. adults reported difficulties affording healthcare, with 8% categorized as "cost desperate," meaning they cannot afford or access necessary medical care.

Additionally, a 2023 Commonwealth Fund survey found that 51% of working-age Americans struggle to afford healthcare, and 32% have medical debt, with many delaying or forgoing care due to cost concerns.

Regarding vaccines, the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency has led to challenges in vaccine accessibility, particularly for the uninsured, as federal programs ensuring free vaccines have been discontinued.

That is a huge portion of the American population that cannot afford basic healthcare.

On 4/22/2025 at 1:22 PM, CharonY said:

That is exactly why I specified "developed countries" as in the vast majority the availability is not an issue. Affordability might be an issue in a few of these countries, but that wouldn't be addressed by having folks walking around with vaccines in their pocket. I took the suggestion as a means to increase availability.

According to a 2022 West Health-Gallup survey, approximately 45% of U.S. adults reported difficulties affording healthcare, with 8% categorized as "cost desperate," meaning they cannot afford or access necessary medical care.

Additionally, a 2023 Commonwealth Fund survey found that 51% of working-age Americans struggle to afford healthcare, and 32% have medical debt, with many delaying or forgoing care due to cost concerns.

Regarding vaccines, the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency has led to challenges in vaccine accessibility, particularly for the uninsured, as federal programs ensuring free vaccines have been discontinued.

That IS A HUGE PORTION of the American population that cannot afford basic healthcare.

25 minutes ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

That IS A HUGE PORTION of the American population that cannot afford basic healthcare.

But the US is not representative of developed countries. It’s one of the exceptions that doesn’t have universal health care. (plus all the gun violence, as a bonus)

4 minutes ago, swansont said:

But the US is not representative of developed countries. It’s one of the exceptions that doesn’t have universal health care. (plus all the gun violence, as a bonus)

Still, it is a huge portion of people in America that can't afford healthcare so their statement does not apply to everyone.

45 minutes ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

Still, it is a huge portion of people in America that can't afford healthcare so their statement does not apply to everyone.

From the data you quote, it is 8% that cannot afford it. The higher numbers are for those that have difficulty doing so. I agree that is still pretty scandalous for the richest society on the planet, but I think we should be careful not to exaggerate.

13 minutes ago, exchemist said:

From the data you quote, it is 8% that cannot afford it. The higher numbers are for those that have difficulty doing so. I agree that is still pretty scandalous for the richest society on the planet, but I think we should be careful not to exaggerate.

"45% of U.S. adults reported difficulties affording healthcare" meaning they could BARELY afford it. the "8%" could not blatantly afford anything at all.

18 minutes ago, exchemist said:

From the data you quote, it is 8% that cannot afford it. The higher numbers are for those that have difficulty doing so. I agree that is still pretty scandalous for the richest society on the planet, but I think we should be careful not to exaggerate.

There is also a survey done by "The Hill" https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/poverty/4778075-americans-healthcare-survey/

Which states "45 percent of Americans unable to afford or access healthcare: Survey"

Although I must agree there is a somewhat major level of variation in these studies.

2 hours ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

"45% of U.S. adults reported difficulties affording healthcare" meaning they could BARELY afford it. the "8%" could not blatantly afford anything at all.

I disagree with your "meaning". The survey was talking about various obstacles, not just cost, and the word "BARELY" wasn't in the article. This is your interpretation, and an extreme one at that.

2 hours ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

There is also a survey done by "The Hill" https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/poverty/4778075-americans-healthcare-survey/

This is an article from The Hill about a Gallup Poll, and it's a pretty bad article. They seem to be claiming that because 55% of Americans don't have problems accessing healthcare, the other 45% can't afford it at all, something for which there is no evidence.

19 hours ago, Phi for All said:

I disagree with your "meaning". The survey was talking about various obstacles, not just cost, and the word "BARELY" wasn't in the article. This is your interpretation, and an extreme one at that.

This is an article from The Hill about a Gallup Poll, and it's a pretty bad article. They seem to be claiming that because 55% of Americans don't have problems accessing healthcare, the other 45% can't afford it at all, something for which there is no evidence.

Your counter to that evidence or poll is?

19 hours ago, Phi for All said:

I disagree with your "meaning". The survey was talking about various obstacles, not just cost, and the word "BARELY" wasn't in the article. This is your interpretation, and an extreme one at that.

This is an article from The Hill about a Gallup Poll, and it's a pretty bad article. They seem to be claiming that because 55% of Americans don't have problems accessing healthcare, the other 45% can't afford it at all, something for which there is no evidence.

I disagree with your "statement." The name of the article is quite literally "45 percent of Americans unable to afford or access healthcare"

Meaning they could "BARELY" afford basic healthcare.

2 hours ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

"45 percent of Americans unable to afford or access healthcare"

Meaning they could "BARELY" afford basic healthcare.

I'm unsure what dictionary you've been using, but I've never seen an equivalence between "unable" and "barely". 'Unable' implies they cannot afford healthcare; 'barely' implies they can afford healthcare.

1 hour ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

Your counter to that evidence or poll is?

My last response was the counter. You should go back and re-read it, if possible. In case you can't re-read past responses, basically I don't think "recorded difficulties affording" is the same as "can BARELY afford". Your vividness is misleading. The article is poorly written with bad conclusions, imo. The poll is data, and shows how the conclusions in the article are overblown or misstated, although I'm not thrilled that it uses information from people who DIDN'T report access or cost problems. Lots of folks don't report things for lots of reasons.

1 hour ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

I disagree with your "statement." The name of the article is quite literally "45 percent of Americans unable to afford or access healthcare"

Meaning they could "BARELY" afford basic healthcare.

And I showed you how they erroneously got that number for the opening of their article. The poll shows 55% of Americans don't have healthcare access problems, so the article assumed that 45% CAN'T AFFORD IT, which is definitely NOT TRUE. The article clarifies later: "37 percent of U.S. adults are 'cost insecure' or 'cost desperate,' according to the survey, meaning they cannot pay for care or medicine or lack easy access."

3 hours ago, Phi for All said:

My last response was the counter. You should go back and re-read it, if possible. In case you can't re-read past responses, basically I don't think "recorded difficulties affording" is the same as "can BARELY afford". Your vividness is misleading. The article is poorly written with bad conclusions, imo. The poll is data, and shows how the conclusions in the article are overblown or misstated, although I'm not thrilled that it uses information from people who DIDN'T report access or cost problems. Lots of folks don't report things for lots of reasons.

And I showed you how they erroneously got that number for the opening of their article. The poll shows 55% of Americans don't have healthcare access problems, so the article assumed that 45% CAN'T AFFORD IT, which is definitely NOT TRUE. The article clarifies later: "37 percent of U.S. adults are 'cost insecure' or 'cost desperate,' according to the survey, meaning they cannot pay for care or medicine or lack easy access."

According to the 2024 West Health-Gallup survey, 45% of U.S. adults reported that they either could not afford or could not access medical care or medications. That’s nearly half the adult population. The survey breaks this group into two categories: 37% are classified as “cost insecure”, meaning they struggle to afford or access care, while another 8% are considered “cost desperate,” meaning they are entirely unable to afford or access necessary medical services. These classifications are not mine—they are Gallup’s.

Its validity I will have to check, so thank you for the feedback :)

9 hours ago, zapatos said:

I'm unsure what dictionary you've been using, but I've never seen an equivalence between "unable" and "barely". 'Unable' implies they cannot afford healthcare; 'barely' implies they can afford healthcare.

If someone skips a medical appointment or leaves a prescription unfilled because of cost, it doesn’t matter whether they technically had $20 in their account or $0. They still didn’t get care. So yes, barely able is one step above unable — but that step doesn’t help when you’re sick, uninsured, or deciding between groceries and insulin.

The Gallup survey classifies 37% of Americans as “cost insecure” — meaning they struggle significantly to afford or access care. That’s not a casual inconvenience. It’s the difference between seeing a doctor now or ending up in the ER later.

17 minutes ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

So yes, barely able is one step above unable

Gee, was that so hard? Just admit you were rather loose with your terminology and move on already. All this dancing you are doing in a lame attempt to confuse people is getting old.

6 hours ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

According to the 2024 West Health-Gallup survey, 45% of U.S. adults reported that they either could not afford or could not access medical care or medications. That’s nearly half the adult population. The survey breaks this group into two categories: 37% are classified as “cost insecure”, meaning they struggle to afford or access care, while another 8% are considered “cost desperate,” meaning they are entirely unable to afford or access necessary medical services. These classifications are not mine—they are Gallup’s.

Its validity I will have to check, so thank you for the feedback :)

If someone skips a medical appointment or leaves a prescription unfilled because of cost, it doesn’t matter whether they technically had $20 in their account or $0. They still didn’t get care. So yes, barely able is one step above unable — but that step doesn’t help when you’re sick, uninsured, or deciding between groceries and insulin.

The Gallup survey classifies 37% of Americans as “cost insecure” — meaning they struggle significantly to afford or access care. That’s not a casual inconvenience. It’s the difference between seeing a doctor now or ending up in the ER later.

I think you are getting pushback on this because, this being a science forum, many of us have the habit of being careful not to exaggerate findings into black-and-white oversimplifications. "Struggle significantly to afford" is not the same as "cannot afford".

I recall Gideon Rachman (I think it was), writing some years ago in the Financial Times, being advised as a young journalist that the way to make your pieces more readable was to "simplify, then exaggerate". That is certainly a rather prevalent habit in journalism.

Most here would agree with what seems to be your underlying sentiment that what you describe is a scandalous state of affairs. However, even from a purely rhetorical point of view, it seems to me exaggeration ultimately weakens rather than strengthens the case, as opponents can pick you up on it for misrepresentation and turn the debate into an ad hominem attack on your credibility.

On 4/25/2025 at 7:54 PM, zapatos said:

Gee, was that so hard? Just admit you were rather loose with your terminology and move on already. All this dancing you are doing in a lame attempt to confuse people is getting old.

Gee, using general terminology does not make it incorrect, sure I could have gotten more specific but my statement is not wrong.

On 4/26/2025 at 1:49 AM, exchemist said:

I think you are getting pushback on this because, this being a science forum, many of us have the habit of being careful not to exaggerate findings into black-and-white oversimplifications. "Struggle significantly to afford" is not the same as "cannot afford".

I recall Gideon Rachman (I think it was), writing some years ago in the Financial Times, being advised as a young journalist that the way to make your pieces more readable was to "simplify, then exaggerate". That is certainly a rather prevalent habit in journalism.

Most here would agree with what seems to be your underlying sentiment that what you describe is a scandalous state of affairs. However, even from a purely rhetorical point of view, it seems to me exaggeration ultimately weakens rather than strengthens the case, as opponents can pick you up on it for misrepresentation and turn the debate into an ad hominem attack on your credibility.

The West Health-Gallup survey itself defines 37% of Americans as “cost insecure” and 8% as “cost desperate.” That’s not my language — that’s Gallup’s. And in healthcare, "struggling" often does mean going without. So while I take your point about precision, I also think it’s worth acknowledging that the lived experience of these people aligns a lot more with “can’t afford” than with “mild inconvenience.”

Oversimplification can be dangerous — but so can over-qualification when it dulls the urgency of the issue.

On 4/26/2025 at 1:49 AM, exchemist said:

I think you are getting pushback on this because, this being a science forum, many of us have the habit of being careful not to exaggerate findings into black-and-white oversimplifications. "Struggle significantly to afford" is not the same as "cannot afford".

I recall Gideon Rachman (I think it was), writing some years ago in the Financial Times, being advised as a young journalist that the way to make your pieces more readable was to "simplify, then exaggerate". That is certainly a rather prevalent habit in journalism.

Most here would agree with what seems to be your underlying sentiment that what you describe is a scandalous state of affairs. However, even from a purely rhetorical point of view, it seems to me exaggeration ultimately weakens rather than strengthens the case, as opponents can pick you up on it for misrepresentation and turn the debate into an ad hominem attack on your credibility.

Across various sources generally specific to America:

In U.S., Inability to Pay for Care, Medicine Hits New High

news.gallup.com

"Similar race and income gaps are evident among these Cost Insecure Americans. Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults are far more likely than White Americans (34%) to fall into this category, as are Americans who earn less than $48,000 annually, just over half of whom are considered Cost Insecure."

This shows demographic specifics of the 45% figure, highlighting racial and income disparities related to healthcare affordability.

45 percent of Americans unable to afford or access healthcare: survey

thehill.com

"Nearly half of U.S. adults — 45 percent — admit to skipping a doctor's appointment or not picking up medication they need because they either couldn't afford ..."

This passage directly states that 45% of adults face affordability issues, linking healthcare cost struggles with skipping care.

Growing Number Of Adults Can't Afford Healthcare

thenonprofittimes.com

"Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults are far more likely than White Americans (34%) to fall into this category, as are Americans who earn ..."

Similar demographic breakdown confirming the 45% affordability struggle statistic.

Americans Borrowed $74B To Pay Medical Bills

thenonprofittimes.com

"Nearly half (45%) of American adults report struggling to cover their medical bills and are either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Younger adults are more than three times as likely to be Cost Desperate than those 65 and older (10% vs. 3%), the data shows. The percentage of people age 50 to 64 years old considered Cost Desperate has risen to ..."

This identifies nearly half of adults as struggling financially with medical bills, confirming the 45% figure.

New Study Reveals More Struggling to Afford Healthcare

westhealth.org

"Forty-five percent of American adults report struggling to cover their medical bills and are either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Younger ..."

Reiterates the 45% number, emphasizing medical bill struggles.

45% Of Americans Struggle To Afford Health Care Across The States

kffhealthnews.org

"45% Of Americans Struggle To Afford ... Experts have suggested that poor nutrition and unequal access to healthcare could be holding Americans ..."

Shows the 45% figure in a broad healthcare affordability context.

A New Study Reveals More Americans Struggling to Pay for Health ...

thewellnews.com

"The poll found 45% of American adults report struggling to cover their medical bills and are either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Younger ..."

Confirms the statistic in a recent poll data context.

US Health Care Now Unaffordable for Nearly Half of Americans

newsweek.com

"Nearly half of all Americans struggle to afford access to quality health care and prescription medications."

This approximately aligns with the 45% statistic, highlighting widespread difficulty in healthcare affordability.

Gallup: 45% of adults cannot afford the care they need

healthexec.com

"The number of adults who can afford the healthcare they need is rising, according to findings from a new survey by West Health and Gallup.. While most Americans surveyed said they are “cost secure” when it comes to paying for healthcare—including premiums, copays, prescriptions and medical bills—45% of adults reported having a problem coming up with the money."

Supports the 45% figure by stating the portion of adults who are not cost secure.

Gallup: Portion of Americans who can’t afford health care is growing

cleveland.com

"Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults, as well as Americans who earn less than $48,000 annually, were more likely than white Americans (34%) to fall into the Cost Insecure category."

Confirms demographic details related to the 45% cost insecurity.

Half of working -age adults said it was very or somewhat difficult to ...

commonwealthfund.org

"Data: Commonwealth Fund 2023 Health Care Affordability Survey. Percentage of adults ages 19–64 by income who delayed or skipped any needed health care because they couldn’t afford it, by insurance type and poverty level.

Presents data close to 45%, showing affordability issues across insurance types.

How does cost affect access to healthcare?

healthsystemtracker.org

"About half of adults (45%) report being worried about their ability to pay medical bills if they get sick or have an accident. About three in ..."

Shows the 45% figure in terms of prediction or worry of medical bill payment.

In U.S., Affording Healthcare More of a Struggle Since 2022

news.gallup.com

"The percentage of US adults readily able to access and afford quality healthcare when they need it has dropped six percentage points since 2022 to 55%."

Indicates a complementary figure where 45% struggle to afford care, as 55% are cost secure.

Healthcare Crisis Hits New High: Record 29 Million Americans Can't ...

studyfinds.org

"Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults are much more likely than White Americans (34%) to occupy this precarious middle ground. Healthcare Access Problems Worsen More than one-third of Americans (35%) report being unable to access quality, affordable healthcare – up 4% from 2023 and 6% since 2021."

Demographic re-affirmation of the 45% struggle rate.

Inability to Pay for Healthcare Reaches Record High in U.S.

westhealth.org

"Rates were higher among Black and Hispanic Americans, with 46% and 52%, respectively, reporting that they would be unable to afford quality healthcare. Americans in higher-income households remained relatively stable in their ability to access affordable care, but the rate of unaffordability increased significantly among lower-income households."

Supports slightly higher than 45%, relevant to affordability challenges.

More Americans Can't Afford Health Care, Prescriptions

usnews.com

"More than one-third of Americans — an estimated 91 million people — say they couldn't afford to access quality health care if they needed it today, according to the latest West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index."

Though this states

"In all, about half (51%) of Americans are considered “cost secure,”... It’s the lowest level observed since the index started in 2021."

> Again indicating that about 45%-49% of Americans are cost insecure.

TRACKING HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY AND VALUE

westhealth.org

"The Healthcare Affordability Index evaluates three key factors in determining the ability of Americans to afford healthcare: 1) ... Based on prior West Health‑ Gallup research, nearly half (45%) believe that their household pays about the right amount for the care household members receive. Poor Perceived Value"

Provides perception data linked with the 45% figure.

Healthcare in the US Becoming Less Affordable - Health Systems

healthsystemsfacts.org

"Healthcare in the US Becoming Less Affordable - World Health Systems Facts provides factual data on health systems and policies. ... “The remaining 45% of American adults are classified as either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Adults under the age of 65 are more than three times as likely to be Cost Desperate as those aged 65 and older (10% ..."

Directly labels 45% of adults as struggling regarding healthcare costs.

"The percentage of personal health care expenditures from out-of-pocket spending was lower in 2019 (12.7%)...But many Americans still face high out-of-pocket costs."

> Connects economic impact relating to healthcare spending burdens consistent with 45% figure in recent studies.

Number of Americans struggling to pay medical bills reaches new high

"Number of Americans struggling to pay medical bills reaches new high. ... The percentage of Americans considered cost secure has eroded from 56% in 2021 to just 51% in 2024.."

Shows the near half proportion of Americans struggling with affordability.

I think the context here has been lost. The OP asked if getting a shot from a person on the street should give you a shot, which already assumes that the vaccine is available. If you can’t afford healthcare, that’s a separate, and much bigger problem, and not solved by Jo or Joe Random having a syringe in their hand.

1 hour ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

Gee, using general terminology does not make it incorrect, sure I could have gotten more specific but my statement is not wrong.

The West Health-Gallup survey itself defines 37% of Americans as “cost insecure” and 8% as “cost desperate.” That’s not my language — that’s Gallup’s. And in healthcare, "struggling" often does mean going without. So while I take your point about precision, I also think it’s worth acknowledging that the lived experience of these people aligns a lot more with “can’t afford” than with “mild inconvenience.”

Oversimplification can be dangerous — but so can over-qualification when it dulls the urgency of the issue.

Across various sources generally specific to America:

In U.S., Inability to Pay for Care, Medicine Hits New High

news.gallup.com

"Similar race and income gaps are evident among these Cost Insecure Americans. Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults are far more likely than White Americans (34%) to fall into this category, as are Americans who earn less than $48,000 annually, just over half of whom are considered Cost Insecure."

This shows demographic specifics of the 45% figure, highlighting racial and income disparities related to healthcare affordability.

45 percent of Americans unable to afford or access healthcare: survey

thehill.com

"Nearly half of U.S. adults — 45 percent — admit to skipping a doctor's appointment or not picking up medication they need because they either couldn't afford ..."

This passage directly states that 45% of adults face affordability issues, linking healthcare cost struggles with skipping care.

Growing Number Of Adults Can't Afford Healthcare

thenonprofittimes.com

"Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults are far more likely than White Americans (34%) to fall into this category, as are Americans who earn ..."

Similar demographic breakdown confirming the 45% affordability struggle statistic.

Americans Borrowed $74B To Pay Medical Bills

thenonprofittimes.com

"Nearly half (45%) of American adults report struggling to cover their medical bills and are either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Younger adults are more than three times as likely to be Cost Desperate than those 65 and older (10% vs. 3%), the data shows. The percentage of people age 50 to 64 years old considered Cost Desperate has risen to ..."

This identifies nearly half of adults as struggling financially with medical bills, confirming the 45% figure.

New Study Reveals More Struggling to Afford Healthcare

westhealth.org

"Forty-five percent of American adults report struggling to cover their medical bills and are either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Younger ..."

Reiterates the 45% number, emphasizing medical bill struggles.

45% Of Americans Struggle To Afford Health Care Across The States

kffhealthnews.org

"45% Of Americans Struggle To Afford ... Experts have suggested that poor nutrition and unequal access to healthcare could be holding Americans ..."

Shows the 45% figure in a broad healthcare affordability context.

A New Study Reveals More Americans Struggling to Pay for Health ...

thewellnews.com

"The poll found 45% of American adults report struggling to cover their medical bills and are either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Younger ..."

Confirms the statistic in a recent poll data context.

US Health Care Now Unaffordable for Nearly Half of Americans

newsweek.com

"Nearly half of all Americans struggle to afford access to quality health care and prescription medications."

This approximately aligns with the 45% statistic, highlighting widespread difficulty in healthcare affordability.

Gallup: 45% of adults cannot afford the care they need

healthexec.com

"The number of adults who can afford the healthcare they need is rising, according to findings from a new survey by West Health and Gallup.. While most Americans surveyed said they are “cost secure” when it comes to paying for healthcare—including premiums, copays, prescriptions and medical bills—45% of adults reported having a problem coming up with the money."

Supports the 45% figure by stating the portion of adults who are not cost secure.

Gallup: Portion of Americans who can’t afford health care is growing

cleveland.com

"Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults, as well as Americans who earn less than $48,000 annually, were more likely than white Americans (34%) to fall into the Cost Insecure category."

Confirms demographic details related to the 45% cost insecurity.

Half of working -age adults said it was very or somewhat difficult to ...

commonwealthfund.org

"Data: Commonwealth Fund 2023 Health Care Affordability Survey. Percentage of adults ages 19–64 by income who delayed or skipped any needed health care because they couldn’t afford it, by insurance type and poverty level.

Presents data close to 45%, showing affordability issues across insurance types.

How does cost affect access to healthcare?

healthsystemtracker.org

"About half of adults (45%) report being worried about their ability to pay medical bills if they get sick or have an accident. About three in ..."

Shows the 45% figure in terms of prediction or worry of medical bill payment.

In U.S., Affording Healthcare More of a Struggle Since 2022

news.gallup.com

"The percentage of US adults readily able to access and afford quality healthcare when they need it has dropped six percentage points since 2022 to 55%."

Indicates a complementary figure where 45% struggle to afford care, as 55% are cost secure.

Healthcare Crisis Hits New High: Record 29 Million Americans Can't ...

studyfinds.org

"Black (45%) and Hispanic (48%) adults are much more likely than White Americans (34%) to occupy this precarious middle ground. Healthcare Access Problems Worsen More than one-third of Americans (35%) report being unable to access quality, affordable healthcare – up 4% from 2023 and 6% since 2021."

Demographic re-affirmation of the 45% struggle rate.

Inability to Pay for Healthcare Reaches Record High in U.S.

westhealth.org

"Rates were higher among Black and Hispanic Americans, with 46% and 52%, respectively, reporting that they would be unable to afford quality healthcare. Americans in higher-income households remained relatively stable in their ability to access affordable care, but the rate of unaffordability increased significantly among lower-income households."

Supports slightly higher than 45%, relevant to affordability challenges.

More Americans Can't Afford Health Care, Prescriptions

usnews.com

"More than one-third of Americans — an estimated 91 million people — say they couldn't afford to access quality health care if they needed it today, according to the latest West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index."

Though this states

"In all, about half (51%) of Americans are considered “cost secure,”... It’s the lowest level observed since the index started in 2021."

> Again indicating that about 45%-49% of Americans are cost insecure.

TRACKING HEALTHCARE AFFORDABILITY AND VALUE

westhealth.org

"The Healthcare Affordability Index evaluates three key factors in determining the ability of Americans to afford healthcare: 1) ... Based on prior West Health‑ Gallup research, nearly half (45%) believe that their household pays about the right amount for the care household members receive. Poor Perceived Value"

Provides perception data linked with the 45% figure.

Healthcare in the US Becoming Less Affordable - Health Systems

healthsystemsfacts.org

"Healthcare in the US Becoming Less Affordable - World Health Systems Facts provides factual data on health systems and policies. ... “The remaining 45% of American adults are classified as either Cost Insecure or Cost Desperate. Adults under the age of 65 are more than three times as likely to be Cost Desperate as those aged 65 and older (10% ..."

Directly labels 45% of adults as struggling regarding healthcare costs.

"The percentage of personal health care expenditures from out-of-pocket spending was lower in 2019 (12.7%)...But many Americans still face high out-of-pocket costs."

> Connects economic impact relating to healthcare spending burdens consistent with 45% figure in recent studies.

Number of Americans struggling to pay medical bills reaches new high

"Number of Americans struggling to pay medical bills reaches new high. ... The percentage of Americans considered cost secure has eroded from 56% in 2021 to just 51% in 2024.."

Shows the near half proportion of Americans struggling with affordability.

No doubt.

On 4/27/2025 at 1:10 PM, exchemist said:

No doubt.

So we agree yes?

On 4/27/2025 at 12:47 PM, swansont said:

I think the context here has been lost. The OP asked if getting a shot from a person on the street should give you a shot, which already assumes that the vaccine is available. If you can’t afford healthcare, that’s a separate, and much bigger problem, and not solved by Jo or Joe Random having a syringe in their hand.

What about Joe the bartender?

1 hour ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

So we agree yes?

Depends what about.

9 minutes ago, exchemist said:

Depends what about.

Ok then I'll take it

2 hours ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

What about Joe the bartender?

He’s of African descent, so he has a very low neanderthal composition.

16 minutes ago, swansont said:

He’s of African descent, so he has a very low neanderthal composition.

I see, I am guessing he is of sub Saharan descent then? What nation is Joe from?

3 minutes ago, Sohan Lalwani said:

I see, I am guessing he is of sub Saharan descent then? What nation is Joe from?

Which one do you want? Joe’s a fictitious example

6 minutes ago, swansont said:

Which one do you want? Joe’s a fictitious example

I declare Joe as my father.

6 minutes ago, swansont said:

Which one do you want? Joe’s a fictitious example

Joe is from Ghana

4 hours ago, swansont said:

Which one do you want? Joe’s a fictitious example

Joe is OBVIOUSLY 100% REAL