Most Americans Are Happy With Health Insurance, Poll Finds

Key Takeaways

82% of Americans say they're satisfied with their health insuranceAbout 24% of folks reported delays or denied coverage in the past two yearsOlder adults and people on Medicare or Medicaid reported the highest satisfaction

TUESDAY, Dec. 16, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Most folks in the United States are happy with their health insurance, according to a new national poll, but many still struggle with denied claims, delays and rising costs.

The poll, conducted by NBC News Decision Desk and SurveyMonkey, found 82% of U.S. adults satisfied with their health insurance overall. About 1 in 3 said they are very satisfied.

Satisfaction was highest among Americans 65 and older. About 9 in 10 said they are happy with their coverage and 42% said they are very satisfied.

People with public insurance were also more positive. Nearly 9 in 10 of those on Medicare or Medicaid said they are satisfied, compared with 77% of people with private insurance.

Nonetheless, 24% of respondents said their insurer denied coverage or delayed care, treatment or medication within the past two years.

Women were more likely than men to report problems. About 27% of women said they faced delays or denials, compared with 21% of men.

People with private insurance were slightly more likely to report trouble (26%) than those with public coverage (23%).

Younger adults were also less satisfied overall. Nearly one-quarter of adults under 45 said they are unhappy with their insurance. Similar dissatisfaction was seen among college graduates and people who identify as political independents.

The poll also asked about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. About 46% of respondents said they want to keep it, while 24% said they would rather repeal it. Another 31% were unsure.

Support for keeping insurance through the ACA was similar among people with private insurance (47%) and those with public coverage (46%).

Younger adults, women, Black Americans and Democrats were more likely to favor keeping it, while a majority of Republicans and people aligned with President Donald J. Trump said they support repeal.

When asked which political party they trust more to handle health care costs, 57% of respondents chose Democrats, compared with 43% who chose Republicans.

Women favored Democrats, while men were evenly split.

The survey included 20,252 adults, was conducted online between Nov. 20 and Dec. 8, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more on health care.

SOURCE: NBC News, Dec. 14, 2025

What This Means For You

Even if you like your health care plan, coverage delays and denials remain common.