A new report by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation notes that Americans are finding health care less affordabe compared to 2015. Even those with employer-sponsored health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are finding the ability to pay for premiums, deductibles, and other out of pocket costs more difficult.
According to a press release from the KFF, “Health care has become somewhat less affordable even among those with health insurance. Since 2015, larger shares of people with health insurance say they have a difficult time affording their health care costs: from 27 percent to 37 percent for premiums, 34 percent to 43 percent for deductibles, and from 24 percent to 31 percent for copays and prescription drugs.”
The report also notes that the decreased affordability of healthcare can have significant consequences. “Challenges affording care also result in some Americans saying they have delayed or skipped care due to costs in the past year, including 27 percent who say they have put off or postponed getting health care they needed, 23 percent who say they have skipped a recommended medical test or treatment, and 21 percent who say they have not filled a prescription for a medicine.”
See the full report here: Data Note: Americans’ Challenges with Health Care Costs