U.S. Health Care System Challenges: Examining Health Care Affordability Across Generations – Empirical Evidence of COVID–19 Pandemic

Year 2025, Volume: 11 Issue: 22, 119 - 128, 31.10.2025

Victor Bahhouth , Andrew Bahhouth

https://doi.org/10.48121/jihsam.1753550

Abstract

This paper examines the United States health care system challenges during COVID-19 pandemic. It tests the transgenerational groups’ health care affordability during the pandemic, considering the various demographic and socio–demographic characteristics that influenced such experiences. We first hypothesize that different generations’ medical challenges were not felt equally across the generations. Second, our hypothesis is that the characteristics of different groups with different medical challenges were also not the same. To test our hypotheses, we use data from the 2021 wave of the National Financial Capability Survey (NFCS), apply Chi–Square tests, and estimate logistic regressions. The overall results are supportive of our hypotheses. The paper advances knowledge of the intricate connection between medical costs and financial hardship in cross-generational settings during the COVID-19 epidemic. To overcome the continuous difficulties brought on by health crises and economic downturns, it emphasizes the significance of developing social cohesion and economic resilience across generations.

Keywords

Medical cost , Transgenerational , COVID-19 Pandemic , Health crisis

Project Number

None

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