Women’s Health Care Affordability Challenges Findings from the 2026 KFF Women's Health Survey Authors: Ivette Gomez, Alina Salganicoff, Brittni Frederiksen, Usha Ranji, and Karen Diep Published: Sep 23, 2026

https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/womens-health-care-affordability-challenges/?utm_campaign=KFF-Womens-Health-Policy&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9TFZf5PxC4FQs11l5xdOViaiJ_MINVCvdCFqN8YRNWHwVMFVzHRyX_C5OdUuAMcTxI7NMvo8WuNTU6qHZDuydvRZiKKw&_hsmi=440470382&utm_content=440470382&utm_source=hs_email Many Women With Insurance Are Skipping Care, Tests, and Prescriptions Because of Cost According to new findings from the 2026 Women’s Health Survey, health care costs remain a significant barrier for many women, with 4 in 10 women ages 18-64 (42%) reporting they delayed or postponed care they thought they needed in the past year because of cost. Thirty-four percent of women with Medicaid report delayed or postponed care in addition to 38% of those with employer-sponsored coverage and 50% of those in individually purchased plans (including Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans where enhanced premium subsidies expired this year). High costs lead many women to skip recommended tests and treatments altogether and ration their own prescription medications even when they have health coverage. Three in 10 (31%) women say they have skipped or postponed a recommended medical test or treatment in the past year because of cost, while 27% report they haven’t filled a prescription and almost one in five (17%) report they cut pills in half or skipped doses because of cost. Further, 1 in 4 (25%) women report spending less money on basic needs, such as food, clothes and electricity in the last year, so they could have enough money to pay for health care. About the 2026 Women’s Health Survey: The 2026 KFF Women’s Health Survey is a nationally representative survey of 4,688 women and 1,148 men, ages 18 to 64. The survey was fielded between March 11 and April 14, 2026, to better understand women’s experiences with accessing and using health care services, including barriers to care. Contact: Mikhaila Richards | 202.654.1328 | MRichards@kff.org