A new survey finds that roughly one in three Americans has had to cut spending on essentials such as food, housing, or savings in order to pay for health insurance coverage. The burden has intensified following the expiry of expanded subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (a landmark 2010 US law that extended health insurance to millions of lower-income Americans), which had temporarily reduced premium costs for many households. The findings underscore a widening affordability crisis in the US healthcare system at a time when the cost of medical coverage is drawing significant political attention.