• A brand new survey from the Commonwealth Fund discovered that well being care is unaffordable for a lot of Americans, together with these with employee-sponsored insurance coverage.    

• Americans struggled to pay for well being care even when they bought insurance coverage on their very own, reminiscent of on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces

• The price is forcing many Americans to forgo wanted well being care.  

More than half of working-age adults struggled to afford well being care this 12 months, based on a brand new Commonwealth Fund survey.  

While the Commonwealth Fund, a personal basis that helps well being care analysis, discovered that uninsured Americans struggled to pay for well being care essentially the most, even these with employee-sponsored insurance coverage are having a tricky time affording well being care.  

Out of the insured, 43 p.c of Americans with employee-sponsored medical health insurance struggled to afford well being care this 12 months.  

Meanwhile, 57 p.c of those that bought insurance coverage on their very own, reminiscent of on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, discovered it tough to pay for well being care this 12 months.  

On high of that, 45 p.c of Americans with Medicaid medical health insurance struggled to afford well being care in addition to 51 of older Americans with Medicare.  

“While having health insurance is always better than not having it, the survey findings challenge the assumption that health insurance in the U.S. buys everyone affordable access to care,” mentioned Sara Collins, the Commonwealth Fund’s vp for well being care protection and monitoring, and lead writer of the examine. 

And the excessive price of well being care is forcing many Americans to forgo medical care.  

Almost 40 p.c of working-age adults reported skipping wanted medical care or pharmaceuticals over the past 12 months as a result of they couldn’t afford it, based on the survey.  

And virtually 60 p.c of these Americans who skipped or delayed care due to prices mentioned their well being worsened consequently, based on the survey.  

Uninsured Americans have been the almost definitely to place off addressing their well being with 64 p.c reporting they skipped or delayed wanted well being care or a prescription drug within the final 12 months.  

But 29 p.c of working-age adults with employee-sponsored well being care protection admitted to skipping or delaying wanted well being care or a prescription this 12 months.  

Out of Americans who bought their very own insurance coverage, 37 p.c mentioned they skipped or delayed well being care whereas 39 p.c of Medicaid medical health insurance holders and 42 p.c of Medicare recipients mentioned the identical.  

Almost a 3rd of working-age Americans mentioned that they had medical or dental debt due to the excessive price of care, the survey additionally discovered.  

And 39 p.c of individuals with medical or dental debt mentioned it pressured them to chop again on fundamental wants like meals, warmth or lease.  

Commonwealth requested Americans whether or not inflation and different price of dwelling bills made it more durable to afford their well being care, based on Collins.  

“We found that insurance did not appear to protect many people sufficiently from the budget squeeze,” she mentioned.  

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