The Cost of Getting Sick in 2026: How the Economy Is Widening the Health Gap

Healthcare in America has never been cheap. But in 2026, the combination of persistent inflation, sweeping federal Medicaid cuts, rising insurance premiums, and a slowing economy has created a crisis that is falling hardest on the communities that were already carrying the heaviest burden.

For Black, Latino, Indigenous, and low-income families across Texas and the broader DFW region, the question is no longer just "Can I afford to get better?" — it is "Can I afford to find out what is wrong?"

DaisyMe Foundation is here to make sure our community has the information, the navigation support, and the advocacy it deserves.

While headline inflation has cooled in some sectors, healthcare costs have continued to climb. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, employer-sponsored health insurance premiums rose an average of 7% in 2025 — the steepest single-year increase in over a decade. For families already stretched thin by housing costs, groceries, and childcare, that increase is not a line item. It is a decision between coverage and rent.

Out-of-pocket costs tell an even sharper story. Deductibles for individual marketplace plans now average over $4,500 per year. For a family earning $40,000 annually — a common income threshold in many DFW zip codes — that deductible represents more than 11% of gross income before a single claim is paid.

In June 2026, Congress passed legislation that includes the largest reductions to Medicaid funding in a generation. Texas, which has one of the highest uninsured rates in the nation and never expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, is particularly exposed.

Approximately 4.8 million Texans rely on Medicaid. The new federal rules introduce work reporting requirements, more frequent eligibility redeterminations, and reduced federal matching funds — changes that analysts at the Urban Institute project could result in 2.6 million people nationally losing coverage by 2028.

In communities like South Dallas, East Fort Worth, and Frisco's lower-income corridors, Medicaid is not a safety net of last resort. It is the primary — and often only — source of healthcare coverage for children, seniors, people with disabilities, and working adults in jobs that do not offer benefits.

After reaching a historic low of 7.7% nationally in 2023, the uninsured rate has begun to tick back up. In Texas, which has consistently led the nation in uninsured residents, the rate never fell below 16%. Current projections suggest it could reach 19–20% by 2027 as Medicaid redeterminations accelerate and marketplace subsidies face renewed political pressure.

Uninsured individuals are significantly more likely to delay or forgo care, to present in emergency rooms at advanced stages of illness, and to carry medical debt that follows them for years. The economic consequences of being uninsured are not just personal — they ripple through families, neighborhoods, and local economies.

Black Americans face a compounding set of barriers that the current economic climate is making worse. The racial wealth gap means Black households have less financial cushion to absorb rising premiums or unexpected medical bills. Black workers are overrepresented in industries — service, logistics, home care — that are less likely to offer employer-sponsored insurance.

The health consequences are measurable and stark:

• Black women in the U.S. die from pregnancy-related causes at 2.6 times the rate of white women (CDC, 2023)
• Black adults are 50% more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension and less likely to have it controlled
• Black Americans are 30% more likely to be uninsured than white Americans at comparable income levels

When healthcare becomes less affordable and less accessible, these gaps do not hold steady — they widen.

Latino families face a distinct but equally serious set of challenges. Immigration status creates barriers to enrollment in public programs even for U.S.-born children and long-term residents. Language barriers reduce access to information about available coverage and services. And the concentration of Latino workers in agricultural, construction, and gig economy jobs — sectors with low rates of employer-sponsored insurance — leaves millions without a clear path to coverage.

In Texas, Latino residents make up approximately 40% of the state's uninsured population. The new Medicaid work reporting requirements, which require documentation of employment or qualifying activities, are expected to create disproportionate administrative burdens for Spanish-speaking households and those with limited digital access.

The economic geography of healthcare access is brutal. Rural Texas counties have lost dozens of hospitals over the past decade, and the remaining facilities are under increasing financial pressure. For residents of these communities — many of whom are white, low-income, and aging — the nearest emergency room may now be 60 or 90 minutes away.

Low-income urban communities face a different version of the same problem: clinics that are technically nearby but inaccessible due to appointment availability, transportation, work schedules, or the inability to take unpaid time off. A 2024 Commonwealth Fund study found that 43% of low-income adults skipped or delayed a recommended medical test or treatment due to cost in the past year.

Medicare and Medicaid together cover the majority of long-term care costs for older adults and people with disabilities. As Medicaid funding tightens, states face pressure to reduce reimbursement rates for home health aides, adult day programs, and nursing facilities — services that allow people to remain in their communities rather than institutional settings.

For families who rely on these services, the economic squeeze is not abstract. It means fewer hours of home care, longer waits for services, and in some cases, family members leaving the workforce to provide care that the system can no longer fund.

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country — and one of the most economically unequal. The same region that is home to some of the wealthiest zip codes in Texas also contains communities where life expectancy differs by more than 15 years depending on which neighborhood you live in.

Collin County, where DaisyMe Foundation is based, has a median household income nearly double that of Dallas County. But within both counties, there are pockets of deep need — communities where residents are navigating language barriers, working multiple jobs, raising children without a support network, and trying to make sense of a healthcare system that was not designed with them in mind.

The economic pressures of 2026 are not creating these disparities. They are accelerating them.

DaisyMe Foundation exists to help community members navigate exactly this kind of moment. Here is what we recommend:

1. Check your coverage status. If you or someone in your household is on Medicaid, make sure your contact information is up to date with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Redetermination notices are being sent by mail — a missed letter can mean a lapse in coverage.

2. Know your options. If you lose Medicaid coverage, you may qualify for a Special Enrollment Period on the Health Insurance Marketplace. Subsidies are available for many income levels. Our health navigators can help you understand your options at no cost.

3. Use community health resources. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serve patients regardless of insurance status, on a sliding-fee scale. There are FQHCs throughout DFW. We can help you find one near you.

4. Attend a free workshop. DaisyMe Foundation offers free community health workshops on topics including understanding your coverage, managing chronic conditions, and navigating the healthcare system. Check our workshops page for upcoming dates and locations.

5. Reach out directly. If you are facing a healthcare access challenge — a denied claim, a coverage gap, a confusing bill, a referral you cannot get — contact us. Health navigation is one of our core services, and it is always free.

DaisyMe Foundation was built for moments like this one. When systems fail, when policies shift, when the cost of staying healthy becomes a burden that falls unevenly on the people who can least afford it — that is when community-based health advocacy matters most.

We are not a hospital. We are not an insurance company. We are your neighbors, working to make sure that where you live, what you earn, and what you look like do not determine whether you get the care you need.

If you need support, we are here. If you want to help, we welcome you. And if you want to stay informed, follow our newsroom — because the conversation about health equity in this community is one we intend to keep having.

DaisyMe Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Frisco, Texas, serving the Dallas-Fort Worth community. Our programs — health navigation, community workshops, and advocacy — are always free to community members. EIN: 42-2944282.

Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation (2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey); CDC National Center for Health Statistics (2023); Urban Institute (2026 Medicaid coverage projections); Commonwealth Fund (2024 Health Care Affordability Survey); Texas Health and Human Services Commission.