According to the data from 2025, some 16 percent of respondents said that rising health care costs were the most important health issue facing the United States. Cancer ranked second on the list with 15 percent. Issues with healthcare costsCurrently, the most urgent problem facing American healthcare is the high costs of care. The high expense of healthcare may deter people from getting the appropriate treatment when they need medical care or cause them to completely forego preventative care visits. Many Americans reported that they may skip prescription doses or refrain from taking medication as prescribed due to financial concerns. Such health-related behavior can result in major health problems, which may raise the long-term cost of care. Inflation, medical debt, and unforeseen medical expenses have all added to the burden that health costs are placing on household income. Gun violence issueThe gun violence epidemic has plagued the United States over the past few years, yet very little has been done to address the issue. In recent years, gun violence has become the leading cause of death among American children and teens. Even though more than half of Americans are in favor of tougher gun control regulations, there is little political will to strongly reform the current gun law. Gun violence has a deep traumatic impact on survivors and society, it is developing into a major public health crisis in the United States.

A 2024 survey found that over half of U.S. individuals indicated the cost of accessing treatment was the biggest problem facing the national healthcare system. This is much higher than the global average of 32 percent and is in line with the high cost of health care in the U.S. compared to other high-income countries. Bureaucracy along with a lack of staff were also considered to be pressing issues. This statistic reveals the share of individuals who said select problems were the biggest facing the health care system in the United States in 2024.

Graph and download economic data for Employment for Health Care and Social Assistance: Emergency and Other Relief Services (NAICS 6242) in the United States (IPURN6242W010000000) from 1987 to 2024 about emergency, healthcare, social assistance, health, NAICS, IP, services, employment, and USA.

The Research and Development Survey (RANDS) is a platform designed for conducting survey question evaluation and statistical research. RANDS is an ongoing series of surveys from probability-sampled commercial survey panels used for methodological research at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). RANDS estimates are generated using an experimental approach that differs from the survey design approaches generally used by NCHS, including possible biases from different response patterns and sampling frames as well as increased variability from lower sample sizes. Use of the RANDS platform allows NCHS to produce more timely data than would be possible using traditional data collection methods. RANDS is not designed to replace NCHS’ higher quality, core data collections. Below are experimental estimates of reduced access to healthcare for three rounds of RANDS during COVID-19. Data collection for the three rounds of RANDS during COVID-19 occurred between June 9, 2020 and July 6, 2020, August 3, 2020 and August 20, 2020, and May 17, 2021 and June 30, 2021. Information needed to interpret these estimates can be found in the Technical Notes. RANDS during COVID-19 included questions about unmet care in the last 2 months during the coronavirus pandemic. Unmet needs for health care are often the result of cost-related barriers. The National Health Interview Survey, conducted by NCHS, is the source for high-quality data to monitor cost-related health care access problems in the United States. For example, in 2018, 7.3% of persons of all ages reported delaying medical care due to cost and 4.8% reported needing medical care but not getting it due to cost in the past year. However, cost is not the only reason someone might delay or not receive needed medical care. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, people also may not get needed medical care due to cancelled appointments, cutbacks in transportation options, fear of going to the emergency room, or an altruistic desire to not be a burden on the health care system, among other reasons. The Household Pulse Survey (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/reduced-access-to-care.htm), an online survey conducted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by the Census Bureau in partnership with other federal agencies including NCHS, also reports estimates of reduced access to care during the pandemic (beginning in Phase 1, which started on April 23, 2020). The Household Pulse Survey reports the percentage of adults who delayed medical care in the last 4 weeks or who needed medical care at any time in the last 4 weeks for something other than coronavirus but did not get it because of the pandemic. The experimental estimates on this page are derived from RANDS during COVID-19 and show the percentage of U.S. adults who were unable to receive medical care (including urgent care, surgery, screening tests, ongoing treatment, regular checkups, prescriptions, dental care, vision care, and hearing care) in the last 2 months. Technical Notes: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/rands/reduced-access-to-care.htm#limitations

As of August 2024, some 20 percent of Americans surveyed were of the opinion that opioids and fentanyl addiction is the number one public health threat in the U.S., a significant decrease from 24 percent in June 2024. Furthermore, obesity was viewed as a top public health issue by 19 percent of Americans in August 2024.
U.S. healthcare issues The United States has the highest healthcare spending globally. The majority of Americans considered rising healthcare costs as the most important healthcare problem facing the U.S. in January 2023. While COVID-19 and cancer were ranked second on the list. Due to unfortunate mass shooting incidents in the country, gun violence is typically related to homicide and is not considered a healthcare issue. Although the most popular method of suicide among Americans who attempted it was a gun or firearm, the link between gun access and suicide is frequently ignored as a public health crisis.

According to a survey conducted in the United States in 2023, 60 percent of respondents overall agreed that they would be afraid the police would hurt them or their loved ones when responding to a mental health crisis. This statistic displays the opinions of U.S. adults on selected statements regarding methods to handle mental health crises in 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Hours Worked for Health Care and Social Assistance: Emergency and Other Relief Services (NAICS 6242) in the United States (IPURN6242L200000000) from 1987 to 2024 about emergency, healthcare, social assistance, health, NAICS, IP, hours, services, and USA.

Introduction

U.S. Death Statistics: The death rate in the United States reflects various factors such as health issues, lifestyle changes, and other social factors that impact people's lives. Life expectancy has generally improved due to advancements in American healthcare, but several causes of death remain significant, including heart disease, cancer, and accidents. The opioid crisis, along with mental health challenges like suicide, also adds to the national death rate.

The COVID-19 pandemic further influenced the death statistics, showing the importance of public health measures. As the population is growing enormously, thus people may pass away from age-related conditions, highlighting the need for better healthcare access and preventive measures to improve overall well-being

The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS), conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), collects annual data on visits to emergency departments to describe patterns of utilization and provision of ambulatory care delivery in the United States. Data are collected from nonfederal, general, and short-stay hospitals from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and are used to develop nationally representative estimates. The data include counts and rates of emergency department visits from 2016-2022 for the 10 leading primary diagnoses and reasons for visit, stratified by selected patient and hospital characteristics. Rankings for the 10 leading categories were identified using weighted data from 2022 and were then assessed in prior years.

Graph and download economic data for All Employees: Education and Health Services: Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services in New York (SMU36000006562420001) from Jan 1990 to May 2025 about emergency, community, social assistance, NY, food, services, housing, employment, and USA.

According to a survey carried in the U.S. in 2023, six in ten respondents strongly supported a policy that would require all health insurers to cover mental health crisis services, while a further ** percent somewhat support this. This statistic illustrates the level of support for a policy that requires all health insurers in the U.S. to cover mental health crisis services as of 2023.

Graph and download economic data for All Employees: Education and Health Services: Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services in California (SMU06000006562420001SA) from Jan 1990 to May 2025 about emergency, community, social assistance, food, CA, services, housing, employment, and USA.

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) is the principal source of information on the health of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States and is one of the major data collection programs of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The National Health Survey Act of 1956 provided for a continuing survey and special studies to secure accurate and current statistical information on the amount, distribution, and effects of illness and disability in the United States and the services rendered for or because of such conditions. The survey referred to in the Act, now called the National Health Interview Survey, was initiated in July 1957. Since 1960, the survey has been conducted by NCHS, which was formed when the National Health Survey and the National Vital Statistics Division were combined. NHIS data are used widely throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to monitor trends in illness and disability and to track progress toward achieving national health objectives. The data are also used by the public health research community for epidemiologic and policy analysis of such timely issues as characterizing those with various health problems, determining barriers to accessing and using appropriate health care, and evaluating Federal health programs. The NHIS also has a central role in the ongoing integration of household surveys in DHHS. The designs of two major DHHS national household surveys have been or are linked to the NHIS. The National Survey of Family Growth used the NHIS sampling frame in its first five cycles and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey currently uses half of the NHIS sampling frame. Other linkage includes linking NHIS data to death certificates in the National Death Index (NDI). While the NHIS has been conducted continuously since 1957, the content of the survey has been updated about every 10-15 years. In 1996, a substantially revised NHIS questionnaire began field testing. This revised questionnaire, described in detail below, was implemented in 1997 and has improved the ability of the NHIS to provide important health information.

Data on visits to physician offices, hospital outpatient departments and hospital emergency departments by selected population characteristics. Please refer to the PDF or Excel version of this table in the HUS 2019 Data Finder (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm) for critical information about measures, definitions, and changes over time. Note that the data file available here has more recent years of data than what is shown in the PDF or Excel version. Data for 2017 physician office visits are not available. SOURCE: NCHS, National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. For more information on the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, see the corresponding Appendix entries at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus17_appendix.pdf.

United States AHE: sa: PW: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Centers data was reported at 39.890 USD in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 39.660 USD for Feb 2025. United States AHE: sa: PW: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Centers data is updated monthly, averaging 25.040 USD from Jan 1990 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 423 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 39.890 USD in Mar 2025 and a record low of 10.640 USD in Jan 1990. United States AHE: sa: PW: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Centers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G: Current Employment Statistics: Average Hourly Earnings: Production Workers: Seasonally Adjusted.

A survey of college students in the United States from the fall of 2024 found that around 38 percent of students had been diagnosed with a cold/virus or other respiratory illness in the past 12 months, making this the most common diagnosis among students. Other common diagnoses included the flu and orthopedic injuries. Common health conditions among U.S. college students Concerning the most common health conditions U.S. college students had ever been diagnosed with, anxiety, environmental allergies, and acne were the most often reported. As of the fall of 2024, around 35 percent of college students in the U.S. stated they had been diagnosed with anxiety at some point in their lifetime. Anxiety was also the second most often reported condition that college students saw a healthcare professional for in the past year. Other health conditions college students saw a healthcare provider about were thyroid conditions, depression, and bipolar and related conditions. Mental health among college students As seen above, mental health problems are common among college students in the United States, with anxiety and depression particularly widespread. A survey of college students from 2022-2023 found that around 36 percent reported having been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, while 30 percent had been diagnosed with depression or another mood disorder. The same survey found that in the past year around 14 percent of college students had suicidal ideation, while six percent made suicide plans, and two percent attempted suicide. Many universities in the United States now offer on-campus mental health resources, however, around 19 percent of students state they do not know where to go on campus for professional help for mental or emotional health problems.

List of footnotes, notes, and source information for The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Each row of this dataset contains the accompanying text for a footnote found in NHAMCS dataset. The footnote lookup can be merged onto any NHAMCS dataset using, DATASET_SHORT_NAME, FN_ID, FN_TYPE, and FN_TEXT.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics CDC, The National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS)

All Employees: Education and Health Services: Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services in New York City, NY was 16.80000 Thous. of Persons in March of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, All Employees: Education and Health Services: Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services in New York City, NY reached a record high of 16.80000 in December of 2024 and a record low of 5.30000 in February of 1990. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for All Employees: Education and Health Services: Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services in New York City, NY - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

United States Avg Hourly Earnings: sa: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Center data was reported at 30.910 USD in May 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 30.620 USD for Apr 2018. United States Avg Hourly Earnings: sa: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Center data is updated monthly, averaging 32.130 USD from Mar 2006 (Median) to May 2018, with 147 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 38.600 USD in Oct 2010 and a record low of 28.040 USD in May 2006. United States Avg Hourly Earnings: sa: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Center data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G033: Current Employment Statistics Survey: Average Weekly and Hourly Earnings: Seasonally Adjusted.

United States Employment: NF: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Centers data was reported at 153.400 Person th in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 151.200 Person th for Sep 2018. United States Employment: NF: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Centers data is updated monthly, averaging 66.050 Person th from Jan 1990 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 346 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 153.600 Person th in Apr 2018 and a record low of 35.400 Person th in Jan 1990. United States Employment: NF: EH: Freestanding Emergency Medical Centers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G024: Current Employment Statistics Survey: Employment: Non Farm.