Commonwealth Fund Survey Shows More U.S. Residents Unable To Pay Medical Bills

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 21 Aug 2008 - 12:00 PST

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More than 40% of working age adults in the U.S. had difficulty paying medical bills or accumulated medical debt last year, compared with about 33% in 2005, according to a Commonwealth Fund study released Wednesday, the Washington Post reports. For the study, researchers analyzed data from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, conducted in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. The survey found that about two-thirds of U.S. adults between ages 19 and 64 were uninsured, underinsured, reported a problem with a medical bill or did not get care due to high costs in 2007. The study also found:

• 39% of U.S. residents with growing medical bills used their savings, 30% incurred credit card debt and 29% said medical bills left them unable to pay for basic necessities such as food, heat or rent;
  
  
• 28% of working age adults had no insurance at some time during the previous year, up from 24% in 2001;
  
  
• 61% of people with difficulty paying medical bills or debt were insured at the time they received the treatment;
  
  
• 14% of adults in 2007 were insured but without adequate insurance, compared with 9% in 2003; and
  
  
• Among people with annual incomes below $20,000, 53% spent more than 10% of their income on health care, compared with 26% of this group in 2005.

The study also found that half of U.S. adults with incomes less than $20,000 were uninsured at some time last year, compared with 41% of those with annual incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 and 18% of those with incomes between $40,000 and $60,000.

Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis said, "The U.S. stands out for being the only country ... that reports significant fractions of the population not getting needed care" (Joshi, Washington Post, 8/20).

The study is available online. A Commonwealth Fund issue brief on medical debt also is available online.

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