Alignment Health’s 2024 Social Threats to Aging Well in America survey explores the primary social and environmental factors, known as social determinants of health, preventing U.S. seniors from living healthier lives.
By the numbers: In an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults ages 65 or older, aging in place (69 percent), lack of transportation and access to medical care (64 percent), and economic insecurity (56 percent) were the top three most-cited social barriers to their overall health.
Why it matters: With seniors on fixed incomes and rising housing, health care, and daily expenses, it’s no surprise that more than half of respondents (56 percent) ranked economic insecurity as a top concern, while 15 percent reported it as their top driver of stress or anxiety in the next 12 months.
More than 4 out of 10 (44 percent) seniors facing economic barriers said they were burdened by medical debt.
- Of those with medical debt, 59 percent owed an amount equivalent to one month or more of living expenses.
- The survey also found that 21 percent of seniors did not have or were unsure they had enough money to pay their medical expenses in the next year.
