Household budgets across the United States have come under strain, with many families weighing trade-offs at the grocery store and scaling back longer-term goals. Health-related expenditures are among the outlays some workers put off, a pattern that can place additional strain on their broader financial situation.

A workforce survey of 6,000 employees carried out by benefits consultancy Willis Towers Watson found that the share of U.S. workers reporting financial security dropped to 36% in 2026, marking the lowest reading in seven years and a notable decline from the 46% figure captured in the prior measurement. Respondents who reported gains in physical health and stronger personal connections still found their financial outlook had moved in the opposite direction.

Survey data points to an uptick in employees skipping routine medical and dental appointments as the squeeze on personal finances intensifies. WTW data covering the past year show that approximately one in three employees — drawn from every age group and carrying active health coverage — went without or delayed a medical appointment because of what they paid out of pocket.

Courtney Stubblefield, who heads health and benefits at WTW, described workers as perceiving healthcare costs as a heavy burden, pointing to high deductibles and steep out-of-pocket charges as recurring obstacles to obtaining care. The data link that pattern most closely to the 40-to-49 cohort, where only 30% reported feeling financially secure — a proportion roughly half that of employees aged 60 and older.

Among the age brackets examined, adults between 40 and 49 years old stood out for putting off or forgoing medical treatment due to financial constraints, with just over four in ten reporting that pattern — a share that outpaced every other group in the data. According to Stubblefield, people at this point in life often find themselves managing the financial demands of raising children while also supporting ageing parents.

People in this bracket, he noted, tend to carry heavier insurance costs because they are statistically more likely to maintain dependent children alongside family medical coverage — a pattern he linked to the so-called sandwich generation, a cohort managing financial obligations toward two age groups at once.

Medical debt carries consequences that stretch well past immediate healthcare costs and what patients pay out of their own pockets. A WTW survey found that roughly two in three workers anticipate entering retirement in a financially weaker position than their parents did, with healthcare costs frequently cited as a barrier to building retirement savings.

Research published by Prudential Financial found that a majority of retired individuals holding at least half a million dollars in investable assets reported hesitancy around spending on personal enjoyment and leisure. Inflation, healthcare costs, and the broader squeeze on everyday living expenses were all listed among the factors cited.

Wealth gaps tied to a person's stage of life are captured in figures compiled by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Data from 2025 show that households whose primary earner had reached 75 or beyond held a median net worth of $504,900, while those led by someone under 35 reported just $33,000.

Household wealth data covering the three-year span through 2025 show a 37% climb in median net worth among those aged 65 to 74, while families headed by adults under 35 saw their holdings contract by roughly 23% over the same period.