Fwd: qotd: The High Burden of Health Care Costs on Insured Adults

_______________________________________________
Quote-of-the-day mailing list
Quote-of-the-day@mccanne.org
http://two.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/quote-of-the-day

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: qotd: The High Burden of Health Care Costs on Insured Adults
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 12:05:31 -0700
From: Don McCanne <don@mccanne.org>
To: Quote-of-the-Day <quote-of-the-day@mccanne.org>



BCBS of Mass Foundation, RWJ Foundation, Urban Institute
Beyond Coverage: The High Burden of Health Care Costs on Insured Adults
in Massachusetts
March 2014
By Sharon K. Long

These findings highlight the vulnerability that Massachusetts families
experience when faced with high health care costs. Overall, 42.5 percent
of all nonelderly adults in the state reported that health care costs
had resulted in financial problems or health care access problems for
their families in the past year, with the burden greater for low-income
adults (46.5 percent for those with income at or below 138 percent FPL)
and middle-income adults (53.9 percent for those with income between 139
and 399 percent FPL). Nearly three-quarters (70.6 percent) of those who
were uninsured for all or part of the year reported problems with health
care costs. However, neither higher income nor health insurance coverage
protected Bay State families: 31.7 percent of higher-income adults and
38.7 percent of adults with insurance coverage for the full year also
reported that health care costs had resulted in problems for their families.

Health care costs are creating difficult choices for families in
Massachusetts. Insured adults frequently reported going without needed
care because of costs, cutting back on non-health-related spending to
pay for health care, and reducing their family's financial security to
pay for health care, both by reducing savings and by taking on debt,
including credit card debt. As a result, medical debt had a significant
impact on many families, particularly middle-income families, with
contacts from collection agencies quite common.

http://bluecrossmafoundation.org/sites/default/files/download/publication/MHRS%20Beyond_Coverage.pdf

****

Health Affairs Blog
March 26, 2014
Health Insurance Coverage Is Just The First Step: Findings From
Massachusetts
By Sharon Long, Kate Willrich Nordahl, Kaitlyn Kenney Walsh, Kathy
Hempstead, and Ariel Fogel

The challenges faced by low-income and middle-income Massachusetts
families are particularly worrisome given that the consumer protections
for out-of-pocket health care costs are generally better in
Massachusetts than those required under the ACA. For individuals with
family income between 100 and 200 percent of poverty who are enrolled in
the state's subsidized health insurance program, out-of-pocket spending
for covered prescriptions and medical services is limited to $1,000 per
benefit year. The ACA allows individuals in this income cohort to have
out-of-pocket costs that can sum to more than double this amount ($2,250).

http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2014/03/26/health-insurance-coverage-is-just-the-first-step-findings-from-massachusetts/

****


Comment by Don McCanne

The provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have provided the nation
with health care coverage similar to that which has existed in
Massachusetts. However, "the consumer protections for out-of-pocket
health care costs are generally better in Massachusetts than those
required under the ACA." Though Massachusetts has better coverage,
"Overall, 42.5 percent of all nonelderly adults in the state reported
that health care costs had resulted in financial problems or health care
access problems for their families in the past year."

Over half of middle-income adults in Massachusetts also "reported that
health care costs had resulted in financial problems or health care
access problems for their families."

Furthermore, "neither higher income nor health insurance coverage
protected Bay State families: 31.7 percent of higher-income adults and
38.7 percent of adults with insurance coverage for the full year also
reported that health care costs had resulted in problems for their
families."

This is the shocking truth about our new national standard of
underinsurance: In spite of having greater financial protection than
that offered through the Affordable Care Act, over one-half of
middle-income adults and nearly one-third of higher-income adults in
Massachusetts still had problems with health care costs. And many of
those who didn't have problems likely avoided them by being fortunate
enough to remain healthy. That is not the way an egalitarian health care
financing system should work.

This ACA turkey won't fly. All of us, including many of those with
higher incomes, would benefit from single payer.