At Help Hope Live, we believe a medical crisis should never become a financial crisis. We support trusted, community-led fundraising for people facing a broad range of life-altering medical challenges.
As part of our work, we maintain a strong understanding of the landscape around Americans’ confidence in insurance and benefits coverage, understanding of the implications of medical fundraising for taxes and benefits, and of the perceived future of healthcare.
In May 2026, on behalf of Help Hope Live, Researchscape* surveyed 1,244 American adults (18+) who have health insurance or benefits and have an annual household income of at least $25,000.
Here’s what we found:
Most Americans surveyed (57%) are very or extremely confident that insurance or other benefits would help prevent a medical crisis from becoming a financial crisis.
Millennials are the most likely generation to say they are very or extremely confident (63%), followed by Gen Z (59%).
Black non-Latino Americans are more likely to say they are very or extremely confident (71%) compared to white Americans (56%).
Why these findings matter:
Health insurance and benefits do not always protect families from all the financial consequences of a medical crisis.
High deductibles, lost wages, caregiving expenses, travel or relocation for treatment or accessibility, and other costs can create hardship even for people who are insured.
Even with health insurance, out-of-pocket medical and related costs can be overwhelming. Help Hope live gives families the tools to fundraise safely to help pay medical bills and other costs insurance doesn’t cover.
Survey respondents are less confident about which specific medical or related costs insurance or other benefits would cover, including long-term rehabilitation, caregiving, and an accessible van.
Americans surveyed are very or extremely confident that insurance would cover these expenses:
- Prescribed medications (73%)
- Medical supplies (52%)
- Long-term rehabilitation (37%)
- Caregiving (35%)
- A wheelchair accessible van (30%)
- Experimental medications or therapies (30%)
- Home modifications for a wheelchair (30%)
- Temporary lodging for medical treatment (28%)
Why these findings matter:
No one can fully predict what will be covered by insurance and benefits when a medical crisis enters the picture.
These expenses can easily climb into the tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they are often only partially covered or not covered at all by insurance or benefits.
Expenses such as those listed above represent a leading reason why individuals and families are often forced to fundraise to meet their basic needs while experiencing a medical crisis.
That’s why Help Hope Live has been making community-led medical fundraising easy and safe since 1983. Our caring team helps clients find the resources they need so they can focus on healing and moving forward with their lives instead of worrying about money.
Many Americans surveyed are uncertain about the potential tax implications of medical fundraising.
Nearly half (48%) are unsure whether medical fundraising can lead to tax liability.
27% believe medical fundraising is always tax-free.
Among the survey population, 42% of those who reported having a household member with ongoing out-of-pocket expenses related to a disability or chronic illness are unsure about these implications.
29% of Americans surveyed believe there is no risk of tax liability if funds raised through a fundraising campaign are only used for medical costs.
Many are also uncertain about the potential impact of medical fundraising on eligibility for benefits like Medicaid and SSDI.
Nearly half (44%) are uncertain whether medical fundraising impacts benefits eligibility.
18% believe medical fundraising will not impact eligibility for benefits.
38% of those with a household member who has ongoing out-of-pocket expenses related to a disability or chronic illness are uncertain about this impact on eligibility.
35% of those surveyed believe there is no risk of losing their benefits if funds raised through a fundraising campaign are used only for medical costs.
Why these findings matter:
There is considerable confusion around how medical fundraising can affect taxes and benefits eligibility—and that confusion can lead to risky medical fundraising decisions.
Programs like Medicaid, SSDI, SNAP, and housing assistance often have strict limits on assets, income, and other resources.
For-profit fundraising sites like GoFundMe send money raised straight to the patient, their family, or another designated individual. That money often counts as taxable income and can cause the recipient to lose important benefits like Medicaid.
In contrast, Help Hope Live is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations made in honor of clients are tax deductible, and we administer those funds on clients’ behalf, to ensure they’re used as intended: To pay qualified medical bills directly to providers.
Help Hope Live’s approach helps protect client eligibility for Medicaid and other vital benefits.
Approximately half of the survey respondents believe the future of healthcare funding is community-led.
51% of Americans surveyed believe it is very or extremely likely that in the future, US patients will need to rely on their community to help pay medical costs.
Only 16% of Americans surveyed believe it is hardly or not at all likely.
Why these findings matter:
There is a growing understanding among Americans that insurance and other benefits might not fully address the financial challenges raised by a serious illness, injury, disability, or transplant. As a result, community-led fundraising is playing and will continue to play an important role in navigating a medical crisis.
Healthcare financing is becoming a shared responsibility rather than something that individuals and families can confidently believe insurance or other benefits will address.
At Help Hope Live, we have been aware of these challenges since 1983. Since then, we’ve helped more than 25,000 families fundraise in their communities for the medical costs insurance doesn’t cover—safely and with personalized support for a lifetime of need.
We verify every client’s medical need, administer funds raised, and pay qualified bills directly to providers. This lets our clients focus on healing and moving forward instead of worrying about bills, possibly losing their Medicaid, or other financial problems.
Facing a medical crisis is hard enough, and we believe our clients shouldn’t have to worry about facing a financial crisis, too. That’s why we work closely with every client, caring deeply about their fundraising success and their futures.
As the future of healthcare evolves, and out-of-pocket medical costs continue to create a financial burden for patient families, Help Hope Live represents a lifeline through safe, trusted, and caring community-led medical fundraising.
*Researchscape International is a market research consultancy for custom and omnibus surveys. The data were weighted to the U.S. population by 9 demographic questions. The credibility interval for questions answered by all respondents is ±4 percentage points.
