Californians worried more about unexpected medical bills than any other expense in 2025 — even housing — according to a new survey by the California Health Care Foundation.
Two-thirds of Californians said they worry about affording unexpected health care bills, while 48% worried about paying their rent or mortgage, and 47% worried about affording food, according to the Oakland-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
“It is shocking, actually,” said Kristof Stremikis, director of market analysis and insight at the foundation, given the high costs of housing and groceries in the state.
The last time anxiety about surprise medical bills topped the survey was in 2022, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged. The foundation and nonpartisan pollsters at the University of Chicago conduct the survey each year.
In 2023 and 2024, it found that Californians were most concerned about paying for gasoline and other transportation costs. Gas prices had spiked past $6 per gallon in the Bay Area, and lawmakers attempted to stabilize the state’s gas supply, with mixed results.
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She was diagnosed with cervical cancer about 20 years ago and underwent surgery that left her cancer-free. She was relieved she didn’t have to undergo chemotherapy afterward.
But the potentially life-saving procedure came at a steep price: DaRosa said she’s on the hook for at least $70,000 in debt, something she and her husband — a warehouse worker — struggled to afford while paying the mortgage on their mobile home.
DaRosa said her medical debt has only swelled since then, even though she is insured by Anthem Blue Cross through her husband’s employer, she said.
“It’s anxiety-inducing,” she said.
Federal cuts to the safety net health insurance program for low-income people in President Donald Trump’s signature One Big, Beautiful Bill Act are expected to increase the ranks of the uninsured and underinsured, experts said. And, pollsters conducted their survey in October and November, when health care expenses took center stage in U.S. politics.
The survey took place during the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, when Democrats in Congress tried and failed to force Republicans to extend tax credits that offset the cost of insurance purchased under the Affordable Care Act and generated $2.5 billion in savings for Californians. Since those credits expired at the end of 2025, new enrollment in California’s health insurance marketplace dropped 32%, state officials said this week.
Plus, health insurers raised premiums for subsidized and employer-sponsored plans at the beginning of the year, in part because those tax credits expired, and widespread use of expensive medications such as Ozempic.
The survey found Californians dislike the changes. Just 1 in 10 Californians thought the Big, Beautiful Bill would have a positive impact on their family’s ability to afford and get health care, the survey said.
Even registered Republicans appeared weak, the survey found: 42% said they favored the law, 45% said they weren’t sure and 13% said they had an unfavorable opinion.
Health care is likely to be a top issue this year as Republicans and Democrats campaign for control of Congress.
A separate recent poll by the nonpartisan research group KFF found U.S. residents were most worried about health care expenses, and a majority expected to pay more for care this year. More independent voters favored Democrats than Republicans on the issue, that poll found.
With funding from the California Health Care Foundation, the Chicago pollsters surveyed 2,552 adults in California. The sample was designed to represent the state’s population, and the survey’s margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points.
Top stressers:
Californians worry more about covering the costs of surprise medical bills than housing or groceries, according to a new survey by the California Health Care Foundation.
64% are worried about affording unexpected health care bills
48% are worried about making rent or mortgage payments
47% are concerned about covering the cost of food
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