At a glance
Rising healthcare costs refer to the growing financial burden of healthcare on patients and providers, driven by higher prices for services, insurance complexity, and out-of-pocket expenses. These rising costs are causing patients to delay care, increasing financial strain, and creating new challenges for healthcare revenue cycles.
Key takeaways:
- Rising healthcare costs can cause patients to delay or forego care, with knock-on effects for health outcomes and providers’ revenues.
- Providers can mitigate these pressures by improving the patient financial experience through accurate information and advance price estimates and personalized payment plans.
- Experian Health State of Patient Access Survey 2026 shows that more and more patients are receiving estimates that are easy to understand, clearly detailed and available on mobile devices.
Healthcare affordability continues to decline as patients struggle with rising costs. Recently According to KFF surveys that just under half of Americans have difficulty paying their medical bills, a proportion that has barely changed in recent years. The latest from Experian Health Survey on Status of Patient Access (SOPA) confirms the trend, with 38% of patients reporting that the payment experience has deteriorated from the previous year, up from 23% in 2024. Patients report poor price transparency, confusion about coverage and lack of payment plans.
Unclear costs leave patients in a difficult situation. They may skip appointments, rack up medical debt, or sacrifice other basic needs to cover care. This has a significant impact on your health and finances, as well as creating revenue cycle challenges for providers.
This article discusses how rising costs affect patients and what providers can do to improve the patient financial experience.
How rising healthcare costs are causing patients to delay care
For the fourth consecutive year, The main challenge for patients. You are seeing your doctor quickly. But it is not always clinical capacity or administrative issues that hinder timely care. Many patients put off treatment because they are worried about how much they will have to pay. Forty-one percent of those who think patient access is becoming more difficult say it is because they are in a worse position to pay for care, an increase of 215 percent from 2025.
Here are three ways rising costs affect care:
| 1. Patients postponed care due to affordability |
| SOUP finds that about three-quarters of providers have seen patients delay or miss care due to cost concerns. This could include postponing wellness checks, which could mean that early signs and symptoms of an illness are missed. They may delay filling prescriptions, resulting in poor management of current conditions. Or they may delay treatment of serious illnesses, requiring more expensive and complex treatments in the future. These difficult decisions have troubling consequences for the health and financial well-being of many American households. |
| 2. Lack of cost transparency causes delays in treatment |
| Patients want direct attention, accurate estimates. Surprise medical bills frustrate patients, especially when insurance appears to cover less and out-of-pocket costs increase. If patients find your estimates difficult to understand or do not trust their accuracy, this may lead them to postpone much-needed care. Suppliers have clearly taken this into account: SOUP shows an encouraging increase in the number of providers offering estimates in recent years. Patients report improvements in the clarity of estimates, the level of cost breakdown, and the availability of digital estimates. |
| 3. Lack of flexible payment options deters patients from seeking care |
| Even with accurate estimates (and even insurance), many patients need help paying their medical bills. They need access to financial settlement solutions that help them cover medical expenses without going into debt. While some patients benefit from charity options, others want to spread the cost of care over time. Manageable payment plans Combined with secure, easy-to-use payment methods, it makes providing care less of a burden. |
Experian Health the data shows that high-income patients are also concerned about having a seamless payment experience. Meeting your expectations for a more proactive and compassionate financial experience will result in fewer missed appointments and more bills paid on time.
How Providers Can Respond to Rising Health Care Costs
Here are some strategies that providers can adopt in response:
Improve financial transparency
Eighty two percent of patients say pre-service estimates help them prepare for the cost of care. This is also a priority for providers, especially since anything that helps patients better understand their financial obligations—faster, more accurate initial data capture—also helps providers reduce the burden of denied claims.
“Estimates and payments are complicated to decipher for many of our patients. And patients are scared and nervous about the procedures. It’s helpful to have a simple, clear breakdown of costs to help guide these conversations.”
Marianna Ross, Manager of Client Services and Financial Counseling, University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC)
Providers should consider digital financial solutions that provide transparent pricing information to patients. Experian Health Patient Payment Estimates generate initial estimates that include real-time pricing with benefits and discounts included. Estimates and secure payment links are automatically sent to patients via text message or the web-based app.
Expand digital access and payments
Patients want a frictionless experience, from initial registration to final payment. Offer more digital methods to manage all aspects of your care, including online and mobile payment optionsgives patients more choice and control over how and when they manage their health-related management. Opening up the digital front also frees staff from onerous administrative tasks, allowing them to provide more direct patient support when needed.
Automate revenue cycle processes
Suppliers that use artificial intelligence (AI) and automation throughout the revenue cycle can expect to see even more benefits. For example, Experian Health Patient Access Curator™ (PAC) uses AI to improve front-end data collection. PAC consolidates eligibility verification, insurance discovery, and demographic data validation into a single transaction. With better data up front, providers have a clearer idea of what patients will owe and what payers should be billed.
Customize financial pathways
As financial uncertainty persists, a one-size-fits-all approach to billing and collections no longer works. Offering patients options that reflect their ability to pay can make care more accessible and reduce the risk of missed or missed payments.
Automated tools like Patient Financial Authorization Help providers evaluate a patient’s individual financial situation and connect them with the most appropriate path, whether a payment plan, financial assistance, Health insurance or other support programs.
Automated patient collections
Automated healthcare collections It also supports a more personalized financial experience by helping providers tailor their collections approach to each patient’s specific circumstances. Collection Optimization Manager uses propensity to pay models that allow providers to segment and prioritize accounts so that outreach and payment options can be tailored to each patient’s circumstances. Providers can then send automated text reminders or emails to help patients meet payment deadlines, with quick payment links that allow patients to click and pay instantly.
Frequently asked questions
Experian Health the data shows that rising costs are pushing some patients to delay or forgo care, especially when they are unsure of what they will owe. Concerns about affordability can also lead to missed or missed payments, resulting in higher levels of bad debt.
Healthcare providers can make care seem more affordable by providing patients with clear, personalized information about costs up front and guiding them toward appropriate financial support early in the process. This includes proactively identifying patients who may qualify for charity care or financial assistance, reducing confusion, and ensuring eligible individuals are not burdened with avoidable costs.
Experian Health solutions, such as Patient Payment Estimatescan help provide more accurate estimates, while Patient Financial Authorization can select patients for assistance programs and connect them with appropriate payment options earlier in their care journey.
Cost transparency improves patient access by making key upfront processes, such as scheduling, registration, and financial authorization, more efficient and predictable. When estimates are clear and integrated into the intake workflow, providers can reduce delays, minimize rework, and move patients through the access process more seamlessly.
Cost pressures are not going away. The providers that will stand out will be those that make it easy for patients to understand and plan for what they need.
Find out more about how simplify estimates and payments can help providers respond to rising healthcare costs and improve patient experiences.