Healthcare Lived Experience
Americans navigate a healthcare system that is often complex, costly, and difficult to access. Explore articles and insights about healthcare experiences, patient access, medical affordability, caregiving, and the real-life challenges people face when seeking quality care.
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Northwestern Medicine West Health Accelerator: Scaling the Collaborative Care Model Across a Health System
Americans’ self-reported mental health ratings have fallen to a six-year low, and more than one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental health or substance use condition — half of them without adequate treatment. The Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) addresses this gap by integrating mental health treatment into primary care, pairing a patient’s primary care provider with a behavioral health care ma...
Feelings Meet Facts: What We See When We Overlay Our Gallup Survey on the City Checkup
Nearly one in four U.S. workers, about 23 million people, say they're staying in a job they want to leave because they're afraid of losing their health insurance.1 Researchers call this job lock, and according to new research from our West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, it's risen eight percentage points since 2021.1,2 That's a feeling, captured the way we capture feelings through ...
Why Medicare Isn't One-Size-Fits-All: The Medicare Quilt
From Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage, Medigap, Part D, and beyond, no two beneficiaries experience Medicare the same way.Medicare is often talked about as if it's a single program, but for the millions of Americans who rely on it, coverage looks more like a quilt than a blanket. Some beneficiaries stay in Original Medicare with Parts A and B. Others add Part D for prescription drugs, or Me...
What Happens When Healthcare Costs Are Out of Reach?
In the infographic below, we illustrate how Americans fall into three categories of healthcare affordability. Each of these categories—or paths—leads to dramatically different outcomes for access to care, financial stability, and overall well-being.Key Takeaways:· A shrinking share of Americans are Cost Secure. Roughly half of U.S. adults (49%) can obtain the healthcare and medicine they need with...
Healthcare Affordability is Eroding
Key Takeaways:The Cost Secure share has slipped to a five-year low. Just 49% of US adults can pay for needed healthcare and medicine and have access to quality, affordable care, down 12 percentage points since 2022.Roughly 41% of adults are Cost Insecure, meaning they have either struggled recently to pay for prescriptions or treatment, or they don't have reliable access to affordable, quality car...
Congressional Committees Shaping Prescription Drug Policy
Prescription drug costs rank among Americans’ top concerns, with four out of five saying prices are too high. Congress has the power to act, but with 46 committees across the House and Senate, knowing which panels hold that power isn’t always obvious. Download West Health’s new guide to learn about the committees best positioned to make a difference.
American Exceptionalism: Why U.S. drug prices are the highest in the world
Americans pay substantially more for prescription drugs than people in other high-income countries, often three to four times as much, even though they use fewer medications and have worse overall health outcomes. This gap has been known for decades, but policy efforts have not significantly reduced prices. The problem is rooted in the structure of the U.S. healthcare system rather than difference...
West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare: Taking a Pulse on Healthcare in America
West Health is proud to partner with Gallup to launch the West Health–Gallup Center on Healthcare in America, which reveals how people experience care in the U.S. Through clear, data-driven insights on cost, quality, and access, the Center highlights where the system falls short and where change is urgently needed.
How Transportation Shapes Health Care Access for Older Adults
As we age, access to transportation greatly influences our ability to maintain independence and engage in essential daily activities. For more than 11 million older adults who no longer drive, reliable transportation often determines whether they can access timely care, manage their chronic conditions, grocery shopping, and stay connected to their communities. Nearly 10% of older adults over age 6...
Prescription Drug Affordability in America: A Growing Crisis
Prescription drug affordability is a growing challenge for millions of Americans. New data show rising concern about the ability to pay for needed medications, with many households already facing situations where they cannot afford prescriptions. These challenges are especially pronounced among lower-income individuals and those with multiple chronic conditions, highlighting persistent gaps in acc...