The cost of healthcare and low wages ranked as the most important financial problems facing American families in 2015, each indicated by 14 percent of U.S. adults in a Gallup survey.
Last year, 12 and 13 percent of U.S. adults reported healthcare and low wages as the top financial problems, respectively, though those two issues still represented the biggest issues facing respondents.
2015 marks the first year healthcare ranked at the top of the list since 2010, when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was enacted. According to the survey, Americans viewed healthcare as a larger financial problem in 2007, when between 16 and 19 percent of respondents said healthcare was the most important issue.
Financial issues vary across income groups, according to the survey. Retirement savings, college expenses and healthcare costs are the most important financial problems for Americans earning $75,000 or more a year, ranking at 14, 13 and 13 percent respectively. For Americans earning under $30,000 a year, retirement savings and college expenses are much less of a concern, though healthcare costs remains a high priority.
This year, 17 percent of respondents said they were not facing any financial problems, up 5 percent from last year. According to the report, this increase suggests the economy is recovering from the recession and reducing financial difficulties for many families.