Featured: This is Generation X’s Biggest Retirement Worry – and it’s Not Money
When we think about retirement concerns, the common assumption is money — will there be enough saved, invested, and protected to last? But for Generation X — the 65 million Americans now between the ages of 45 and 60 — it turns out their biggest worry isn’t their bank account. It’s their health.
A recent MarketWatch article by Richard Eisenberg “This is Generation X’s biggest retirement worry — and it’s not money” highlights what’s becoming increasingly clear: healthcare costs, and access to care, are top of mind for Gen Xers nearing retirement.
New data from the West Health–Gallup 2025 Survey, the article reveals that 11% of adults aged 50–64 are now “cost desperate” — unable to afford or access the care or medications they need. That’s up from 8% just a few years ago.
As our own Tim Lash, president of the West Health Policy Center, told MarketWatch,
“Gen X is kind of caught in a perfect storm where they have rising healthcare costs, debt and they’re [generally] sicker than their parents were. All of these things contribute to a pretty dire situation for them.”
The data tells a sobering story. Compared to those over 65 — who are more likely to be covered by Medicare — Gen X is navigating a fragmented, high-cost healthcare system with limited safety nets and growing chronic health challenges. And they’re doing it while also managing debt, supporting aging parents, raising kids, and bracing for longer life spans.
At West Health, we’ve long advocated for lowering healthcare costs and expanding access, especially for older adults. Our latest survey with Gallup underscores how critical these issues are, not just for those currently in retirement, but for those rapidly approaching it.
The concerns raised in the West Health–Gallup survey reflect a growing unease among Generation X — a generation navigating rising healthcare costs, health challenges, and the uncertainties of aging. As Tim Lash points out, these factors are converging at a critical moment.
To learn more about what’s driving Gen X’s retirement anxiety — and why healthcare is at the center of it — we encourage you to read the full feature in MarketWatch:
This is Generation X’s biggest retirement worry — and it’s not money.
Visit the West Health-Gallup Research Hub to see our complete body of work from our partnership with Gallup.
