Ransomware attack attempts hit 71% of healthcare organizations in a recent survey. Simultaneously, 10.3% of U.S. adults delayed medical care in a single year due to cost. This article details the scale of chronic disease, market expenditures, and access barriers that define the current health landscape.
Key Takeaways
- 2.7% of U.S. adults aged 18+ reported substance use disorder in 2023
- 38.4% of U.S. adults had hypertension in 2021
- 13.6% of U.S. GDP was spent on health care in 2023
- $14.0 billion total U.S. spending on medical supplies (projected 2024).
- 28.8% of U.S. health spending is for physician and clinical services (2022).
- 19.2% of adults delayed getting medical care in 2022 due to cost or other reasons (NHIS)
- 67.2% of primary care HPSAs were located in rural or medically underserved communities in 2023 (HRSA distribution)
- $4.1 billion cost of health care data breaches in 2023 (average across breaches; HIPAA-covered entities and business associates)
- $1.3 trillion projected U.S. spending on health care administration by 2032 (national health expenditure administration component estimate)
- 88% of nursing homes were in compliance with the federal minimum staffing requirements for at least one staffing measure after initial implementation (CMS final rule implementation update, 2024).
- 12.2% of patients died within 30 days of hospitalization for pneumonia in 2022 (quality indicator rate)
- 24.9% of adults aged 18–64 reported skipping mental health care due to cost or other reasons (2022).
- 10.3% of U.S. adults delayed medical care in 2022 due to cost.
- 35.3% of U.S. adults reported they did not get recommended care in the past 12 months (2022).
- 26.0% of adults aged 18–64 reported that they have been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes (NHIS, 2022).
Rising health care costs and access barriers coincide with major chronic disease burdens and staffing and data risks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Public Health Burden2 stats
01
2.7% of U.S. adults aged 18+ reported substance use disorder in 2023https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt--23sr-001-nsduh-figures.pdf
02
38.4% of U.S. adults had hypertension in 2021https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hypertension.htm
Interpretation
Public Health Burden Interpretation
Under the public health burden framing, substance use disorder affects 2.7% of US adults while hypertension is far more widespread at 38.4% in 2021, showing how a relatively smaller prevalence can still signal a serious burden alongside much higher rates of chronic disease.
02 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
13.6% of U.S. GDP was spent on health care in 2023https://www.cms.gov/files/document/highlights.pdf
02
$14.0 billion total U.S. spending on medical supplies (projected 2024).https://www.ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/healthcare-medical-supplies-market-size.html
03
28.8% of U.S. health spending is for physician and clinical services (2022).https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the U.S. market, health care represents 13.6% of GDP in 2023 and physician and clinical services account for 28.8% of health spending in 2022, underscoring a very large and clinician driven demand alongside projected medical supplies spending of $14.0 billion in 2024.
03 · Category
Care Delivery2 stats
01
19.2% of adults delayed getting medical care in 2022 due to cost or other reasons (NHIS)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr166.pdf
02
67.2% of primary care HPSAs were located in rural or medically underserved communities in 2023 (HRSA distribution)https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/shortage-area/health-professional-shortage-areas
Interpretation
Care Delivery Interpretation
From a care delivery perspective, cost-related delays remain a major barrier with 19.2% of adults postponing medical care in 2022, while the majority of primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas, 67.2% in 2023, are concentrated in rural or medically underserved communities.
04 · Category
Technology Adoption1 stats
01
$4.1 billion cost of health care data breaches in 2023 (average across breaches; HIPAA-covered entities and business associates)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
Interpretation
Technology Adoption Interpretation
In the technology adoption lens, the U.S. health sector still faces major downside risks, with 4.1 billion in average costs from health care data breaches in 2023 across HIPAA-covered entities and business associates showing that stronger technology use must go hand in hand with robust security.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
$1.3 trillion projected U.S. spending on health care administration by 2032 (national health expenditure administration component estimate)https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forecasts/2023/administrative-burden-of-the-us-health-care-system
02
88% of nursing homes were in compliance with the federal minimum staffing requirements for at least one staffing measure after initial implementation (CMS final rule implementation update, 2024).https://www.mcknights.com/news/new-cms-data-show-massive-strides-toward-minimum-staffing-ratios/
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
The U.S. is projected to spend $1.3 trillion on health care administration by 2032, showing that administrative costs are a growing driver of overall health care expenses, while staffing compliance in nursing homes is still not universal at 88% even after initial requirements.
06 · Category
Outcomes & Quality1 stats
01
12.2% of patients died within 30 days of hospitalization for pneumonia in 2022 (quality indicator rate)https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/dataset/30-day-mortality-mortality-for-acute-myocardial-infarction-AMI-and-pneumonia-by-hospital
Interpretation
Outcomes & Quality Interpretation
In the Outcomes and Quality category, 12.2% of patients died within 30 days of hospitalization for pneumonia in 2022, underscoring the ongoing impact of this condition on short term patient outcomes.
More related reading
07 · Category
Access & Outcomes11 stats
01
24.9% of adults aged 18–64 reported skipping mental health care due to cost or other reasons (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/2024/mental-health-care-2022.html
02
10.3% of U.S. adults delayed medical care in 2022 due to cost.https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/2024/delay-medical-care-2022.html
03
35.3% of U.S. adults reported they did not get recommended care in the past 12 months (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/2024/not-getting-recommended-care-2022.html
04
63% of U.S. adults reported having a primary care doctor or provider (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/2024/primary-care-2022.html
05
15.2% of U.S. adults reported fair or poor health (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/press-releases/2024/health-status-2022.html
06
7.6% of U.S. adults reported having a disability (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/press-releases/2024/disability-2022.html
07
8.7% of U.S. adults reported visiting an emergency department in the past 12 months (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/2024/emergency-department-visits-2022.html
08
12.5% of U.S. adults reported not receiving needed dental care in 2022.https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/2024/dental-care-2022.html
09
33.0% of adults reported not having a recent routine checkup in 2022 (AHRQ HCUP/MEPS-based estimate).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsroom/press-releases/2024/routine-checkup-2022.html
10
36.0% of adults reported experiencing difficulty getting health care services due to structural barriers (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/press-releases/2024/barriers-to-care-2022.html
11
12.9 million U.S. adults (age 18+) had trouble getting or affording health care in 2022 (AHRQ).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/press-releases/2024/trouble-affording-health-care-2022.html
Interpretation
Access & Outcomes Interpretation
Across Access and Outcomes, cost and missed care are widespread, with 35.3% of adults reporting they did not get recommended care in the past 12 months and 24.9% skipping mental health care, while only 63% report having a primary care doctor.
08 · Category
Disease Burden9 stats
01
26.0% of adults aged 18–64 reported that they have been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes (NHIS, 2022).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diabetes.htm
02
19.8% of U.S. adults (age 18+) reported current asthma in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_national_asthma_data.htm
03
4.4% of U.S. adults (age 18+) reported having chronic kidney disease (2022).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/kidney-disease.htm
04
2.7% of U.S. adults aged 18+ reported substance use disorder in 2023https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2023-nsduh-annual-national-report
05
12.4% of U.S. adults reported having cancer (2022).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/cancer.htm
06
7.2% of adults aged 18+ reported chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/copd.htm
07
5.8% of U.S. adults (age 18+) reported having stroke (2022).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/stroke.htm
08
17.8% of U.S. adults aged 18+ reported being current smokers (2022).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/smoking.htm
09
1.4% of people with cancer reported having not received treatment in the prior 12 months due to cost (2022).https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics
Interpretation
Disease Burden Interpretation
Across U.S. disease burden, diabetes and prediabetes top the list with 26.0% of adults aged 18 to 64 reporting a diagnosis while asthma remains widespread at 19.8% and other chronic conditions like COPD affect 7.2%, underscoring how common long term illness is.
09 · Category
Health Workforce1 stats
01
9.0% of adults reported having no usual source of health care (2022).https://www.ahrq.gov/news/press-releases/2024/no-usual-source-of-care-2022.html
Interpretation
Health Workforce Interpretation
In 2022, 9.0% of U.S. adults reported having no usual source of health care, a sign of gaps in health workforce access and continuity for those who may not reliably connect to providers.
10 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
46% of health system executives reported staffing shortages as a top concern (2024 HIMSS survey).https://www.himss.org/resources/press-releases/2024-himss-survey-shows-staffing-shortages-top-concern
02
61% of organizations reported using artificial intelligence (AI) for clinical documentation or workflow automation (2024 KLAS survey).https://klasresearch.com/report/ai-in-healthcare-2024
03
65% of clinicians reported that interoperability (FHIR/HL7) is important to achieving better patient outcomes (2024 HIMSS survey).https://www.himss.org/resources/press-releases/2024-interoperability-survey
04
71% of surveyed health care organizations reported that they had experienced at least one ransomware attack attempt in the past 12 months (2024 IBM X-Force).https://securityintelligence.com/ransomware-attacks-attempts-in-healthcare-2024/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across industry trends, health leaders are prioritizing modernization under pressure as staffing shortages affect 46% of executives while 61% already use AI for clinical documentation, 65% see interoperability as key to better outcomes, and 71% report ransomware attack attempts in the past year.
11 · Category
Policy & Regulation1 stats
01
13.2% of U.S. adults were uninsured at some point in 2022 (KFF Health Insurance Coverage).https://www.kff.org/uninsured/issue-brief/key-facts-about-the-uninsured-population/
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
In 2022, 13.2% of U.S. adults were uninsured at some point, highlighting how policy and regulation still leave a sizable share of people uncovered.
report visual · Comparison
Key health snapshot: chronic conditions, access barriers, and system costs
A substantial share of U.S. adults report common health conditions and significant challenges accessing recommended care—alongside large national spending on health care.
38.4% of U.S. adults had hypertension in 202138.4%
35.3% of U.S. adults reported they did not get recommended care in the past 12 months (2022).
35.3%
19.2% of adults delayed getting medical care in 2022 due to cost or other reasons (NHIS)
19.2%
13.6% of U.S. GDP was spent on health care in 2023
13.6%
source-verifiedcdc.gov · ahrq.gov · cms.gov2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). U.S. Health Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/u-s-health-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "U.S. Health Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/u-s-health-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "U.S. Health Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/u-s-health-statistics.
Sources & references
37 datasets cited across this report
+22 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)