Posted on 10/10/2025 9:22:37 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
If there are two issues that dominate America’s online discourse, they’re the soaring cost of housing and the even steeper price of staying healthy.
The U.S. pours almost $13,000 per person into healthcare, yet average life expectancy is below nearly every other high-income nation.
It’s a study of contrasts.
As Visual Capitalist's Pallavi Rao notes, the country boasts of state of the art facilities and cutting edge research, while nearly 10% of Americans can’t afford healthcare.
This number comes from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data that lists the share of surveyed adults who skipped seeing a doctor in 2023 because it simply cost too much.
In the map and article below we break down the varying trends per state.
ℹ️ Note: Source figures unavailable for Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
Texas leads the nation in not being able to afford healthcare. More than 18% of surveyed adults said skipped a doctor’s visit due to cost, far above the 10.6% U.S. median.
| Year | Top revenue company in the U.S. | Annual revenue of the top company (USD, billions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | General Motors | $9.8 |
| 1956 | General Motors | $12.4 |
| 1957 | General Motors | $10.8 |
| 1958 | General Motors | $11.0 |
| 1959 | General Motors | $9.5 |
| 1960 | General Motors | $11.2 |
| 1961 | General Motors | $12.7 |
| 1962 | General Motors | $11.4 |
| 1963 | General Motors | $14.6 |
| 1964 | General Motors | $16.5 |
| 1965 | General Motors | $17.0 |
| 1966 | General Motors | $20.7 |
| 1967 | General Motors | $20.2 |
| 1968 | General Motors | $20.0 |
| 1969 | General Motors | $22.8 |
| 1970 | General Motors | $24.3 |
| 1971 | General Motors | $18.8 |
| 1972 | General Motors | $28.3 |
| 1973 | General Motors | $30.4 |
| 1974 | General Motors | $35.8 |
| 1975 | Exxon Mobil | $42.1 |
| 1976 | Exxon Mobil | $44.9 |
| 1977 | Exxon Mobil | $48.6 |
| 1978 | General Motors | $55.0 |
| 1979 | General Motors | $63.2 |
| 1980 | Exxon Mobil | $79.1 |
| 1981 | Exxon Mobil | $103.1 |
| 1982 | Exxon Mobil | $108.1 |
| 1983 | Exxon Mobil | $97.2 |
| 1984 | Exxon Mobil | $88.6 |
| 1985 | Exxon Mobil | $90.9 |
| 1986 | General Motors | $96.4 |
| 1987 | General Motors | $102.8 |
| 1988 | General Motors | $101.8 |
| 1989 | General Motors | $121.1 |
| 1990 | General Motors | $127.0 |
| 1991 | General Motors | $125.1 |
| 1992 | General Motors | $123.8 |
| 1993 | General Motors | $132.8 |
| 1994 | General Motors | $133.6 |
| 1995 | General Motors | $155.0 |
| 1996 | General Motors | $168.8 |
| 1997 | General Motors | $168.4 |
| 1998 | General Motors | $178.2 |
| 1999 | General Motors | $161.3 |
| 2000 | General Motors | $189.1 |
| 2001 | Exxon Mobil | $210.4 |
| 2002 | Walmart | $219.8 |
| 2003 | Walmart | $246.5 |
| 2004 | Walmart | $258.7 |
| 2005 | Walmart | $288.2 |
| 2006 | Exxon Mobil | $339.9 |
| 2007 | Walmart | $351.1 |
| 2008 | Walmart | $378.8 |
| 2009 | Exxon Mobil | $442.9 |
| 2010 | Walmart | $408.2 |
| 2011 | Walmart | $421.8 |
| 2012 | Exxon Mobil | $452.9 |
| 2013 | Walmart | $469.2 |
| 2014 | Walmart | $476.3 |
| 2015 | Walmart | $485.7 |
| 2016 | Walmart | $482.1 |
| 2017 | Walmart | $485.9 |
| 2018 | Walmart | $500.3 |
| 2019 | Walmart | $514.4 |
| 2020 | Walmart | $524.0 |
| 2021 | Walmart | $559.2 |
| 2022 | Walmart | $572.8 |
| 2023 | Walmart | $611.3 |
| 2024 | Walmart | $648.1 |
| 2025 | Walmart | $681.0 |
Closely following are the U.S. Virgin Islands (17.2%), Georgia (15.6%), and Nevada (15.2%).
However the map shows a clear clustering of the worst rates.
Eight of the top 10 jurisdictions with the highest cost-related avoidance are in the South. This underlines how lower average incomes and higher uninsured rates compound affordability challenges.
ℹ️ Related: See the most recent data for average incomes by state.
Policymakers in these states have also been slower to expand Medicaid, a factor that researchers link to higher out-of-pocket burdens for residents.
For example, Texas has one of the strictest Medicaid eligibility requirements. Adults under 65 who aren’t disabled or raising a child are ineligible for Medicaid regardless of how low their income is, per Healthinsurance.org.
Even parents can only qualify if their household income is extremely low. This would make it impossible for parents to hold even part-time jobs, as they will lose health coverage if their earnings rise above the threshold.
ℹ️ Related: Texas has a 13% poverty rate, 11th-highest in the country.
At the other end of the spectrum, Hawaii (6.7%), Vermont (7.0%), and Massachusetts (7.1%) report the lowest shares of adults dodging care for financial reasons.
In Massachusetts’ case, a legacy of near-universal coverage dating back to its 2006 healthcare reform was a model for the Affordable Care Act.
Interestingly, high-cost-of-living states like New York and California sit close to the national median, suggesting that robust insurance networks can offset other cost pressures.
ℹ️ Related: Californians and New Yorkers have the lowest purchasing power in the U.S.
With the federal Medicaid continuous-coverage provision now expired, analysts expect affordability gaps to widen unless state safety nets expand.
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out How Often People Go to the Doctor, by Country on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.
“can’t afford healthcare” <> “not getting healthcare”
Illegals don’t seem to have much trouble getting HC.
File this as useless information generated by inaccurate and biased goverment surveys.
Lots of people would see a dr for a hangnail if it was free.
How many people actually skipped a dr appointment for a serious issue due to cost?
How many skipped or cancelled an appointment because the issue resolved itself before the appointment because wait times are so long?
Visual Capitalist is a leftist propaganda site.
Why do you post such crap? And don’t even comment yourself?
The map is accurate for me. In Oregon, I’m spending about 10% or my income for healthcare.
$32k/annually
None. I can tell you there has been a significant reduction of the illegals jamming up my hospitals ER.
It’s nice.
Bkmk
health coverage for old people is stupid expensive. I can now see why some have to make choices between food and medications. America isn’t a financially friendly for older American that paid into this shitty system
Cost shifting of insurance for Americans between 55 and 65, is just flat expensive.
Many who got onto Obamacare as an insurer of last resort, discovered poor health care and huge insurance bills.
Great point.
Because people eat like crap and don't get out and move and get exercise.
This guy really advocates for healthy eating and has a lot to say on insulin resistance and its deleterious effect on health.
MILLIONS Have INSULIN RESISTANCE: Dangerous Pandemic | How to REVERSE Naturally Dr Suneel Dhand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WbicBfRpQ4
This particular video is one of his longest (an hour), but he has many others that are much shorter that deal with it. I just can't find them right now.
ABSOLUTELY!!!!
And being FORCED onto Medicare at 65 doesn’t help any at all.
It is nice.
But guess who will be made to pay for the fact that the utilization rate is down.
And not just in the ER, I’ll bet.
Here’s how they handle it in my neck of the woods...
It takes weeks or months for certain procedures.
And it’s harder than hell to see an MD.
And, yeah, the costs are insanely high.
But then this isn’t really about healthcare, is it.
Technically you aren’t forced.
You can wait to sign up.
But you pay far more if you do that.
In the meantime I would love a catastrophic plan type coverage.
I can’t get that from anyone.
“And being FORCED onto Medicare at 65 doesn’t help any at all.”
Part A normally comes from 40 quarters of work. You don’t have to take it.
Part B and Part D have 10% premium penalties per year unless you take them and for Part B pay a $555/quarter premium.
My Part D plan is ‘free’ for me. I got an antibiotic prescription for dental work.
If you worked hard and you married right (hard worker as well) you can afford good health insurance and you can retire with good health insurance.
It’s not a right period and not a government handout.
“In the meantime I would love a catastrophic plan type coverage.
“I can’t get that from anyone.”
In theory, coverage could be cobbled together outside of the exchanges. You might wish to talk to a licensed insurance agent about your options.
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