Health care just as important as economy. What experts want Biden and Trump to address.

When President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off Thursday during the first general election debate, health policy experts say tackling the exorbitant cost of health care is as much a top issue for voters as the U.S. economy.

Health care costs in the United States continue to rise — and Americans increasingly say they are unable to afford the care they need.

There is no issue in health care even remotely close to voter frustration over the high prices patients have to pay for medical care, said Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, a nonprofit group that researches health policy issues.

“People tend to think about health care as separate from the economy,” he said. “But when you talk to voters, it’s not separate at all in their heads. Health care is a dimension of their pocketbook economic concerns.”

National health care spending is projected to have increased 7.5% in 2023 to almost $4.8 trillion, faster than the projected growth of the overall economy, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The estimated health care spending per person — the average amount spent on health care services for each individual — reached $14,423 in 2023, up from $13,493 in 2022 and $13,012 in 2021.

The rising cost is hitting Americans’ wallets. About half of U.S. adults say it is difficult to afford their health care costs, according to a recent poll from KFF. About 1 in 4 say they — or a family member — had problems paying for health care in the past year.

That often means people will have to skip or delay the care that they need, said Dr. Adam Gaffney, a critical care physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance, who was not involved in the polling. A family member may try to provide financial aid,