State of Healthcare Affordability: 2025–2026 Reports
A Comprehensive View of Healthcare Affordability
The financial side of care is rapidly evolving. Patients are taking on a greater share of costs, while health systems are rethinking how to improve the patient experience while maintaining strong financial performance.
PayZen’s national affordability reports provide a comprehensive, data-driven view into these shifts. Bringing together perspectives from both patients and providers, the 2025 and 2026 reports uncover the trends, gaps, and opportunities shaping the future of patient financial engagement.
State of Healthcare Affordability: The Patient Perspective 2026
Based on a national survey of 1,000 U.S. patients who had a hospital visit or surgery in the last 24 months, PayZen’s third annual Patient Affordability Survey shows how deeply cost now shapes the care journey.
38% of patients earning $75-90K skipped or postpone care due to costs
42% of patients received no financial guidance at all before, during, or after their visit
42% of patients have used an AI chatbot instead of seeing a doctor because of cost concerns
State of Healthcare Affordability: The Provider Perspective 2026
Based on insights from healthcare revenue cycle leaders nationwide, this report explores industry benchmarks and how AI and earlier patient financial engagement are reshaping overall performance.
41.3% of health systems now prioritize improving the patient financial experience, more than 2× last year
61.3% of leaders believe financial screening should happen at scheduling, but only 21.1% do so today
More than one and three health systems use AI in the revenue cycle
State of Healthcare Affordability: The Patient Perspective 2025
From a national survey of 1,000 patients, this report examines how rising healthcare costs are influencing care decisions — from delayed treatment to financial stress — and highlights actions health systems can take today to improve access and affordability.
38% of patients delayed or skipped care due to cost
$83/month is what the average American can afford for medical bills
The number of parents delaying a child’s care tripled in one year
State of Healthcare Affordability: The Provider Perspective 2025
Based on insights from 213 healthcare revenue cycle executives, this report explores how affordability challenges are impacting collections, bad debt, and operational performance — and how providers are adapting.
3 in 4 patient bills go uncollected
58% of systems cap in-house payment plans at 24 months
Hospitals implementing pre-service payment policies see a 20% lift in collections