Record high insurance coverage doesn’t mean Americans can afford health care
"More work is needed to fill the remaining coverage gaps and design health plans that encourage people to get the health care they need to live productive and fulfilling lives.”
Nearly half of working-age adults are not getting the care they need despite historically high levels of health insurance coverage.
Forty-six percent skipped or delayed care because of cost in the past year, and 42% struggled to pay medical bills or were paying off medical debt, according to the latest Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey.
“This survey demonstrates that having health insurance isn’t enough for millions of Americans who need good coverage, with affordable premiums and manageable out-of-pocket costs, which protects them from long-term financial problems,” says Sara Collins of the Commonwealth Fund, lead author of the survey brief. “The Affordable Care Act made great strides toward better health insurance, but more work is needed to fill the remaining coverage gaps and design health plans that encourage people to get the health care they need to live productive and fulfilling lives.”
Among the key findings:
- Forty-three percent of working-age adults are inadequately insured. This includes people who are uninsured (9%), had a gap in coverage over the past year (1%) or are underinsured, meaning that their coverage does not provide them with affordable access to health care (23%).
- High out-of-pocket maximums are leaving people with considerable cost exposure. Half of people surveyed say they would be unable to pay for an unexpected $1,000 medical bill within 30 days, including 68% of adults with low incomes, 69% of black adults and 63% of Latino/Hispanic adults.
- Chronic uninsurance persists among specific populations People who were uninsured for a year or longer were disproportionately young, Latino/Hispanic, poor, sicker or living in the South.
- Asked to name their health policy priorities, Americans agree on the need to lower health care costs. Sixty-eight percent of Democrats, 55% of independents and 46% of Republicans say President Biden and Congress should make health care costs a top priority in the coming year.
Related: Health care costs expected to be $13,800 per person in 2023
“The fact that so many people in this country cannot afford needed health care — even with coverage at a record high — points to the importance of addressing health care costs,” says Dr. David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund. “Affordable, comprehensive coverage for all Americans is essential to good health and a strong health care system.”