New Study From the Commonwealth Fund Looks at Out-of-Pocket Costs for Some Health Plans

New Study From the Commonwealth Fund Looks at Out-of-pocket Costs for Some Health Plans

Millions of Americans with employer health coverage are spending large shares of their income on health care costs, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The analysis looks at what people in every state report spending on premiums and out-of-pocket costs for medications, copays, and dental and vision care. It is a complement to an earlier report that looked at employer-reported premiums and deductibles.

The report, How Much U.S. Households with Employer Insurance Spend on Premiums and Out-of-Pocket Costs, was released today. Findings include:

Health care costs are consuming a large share of income for millions of people with employer coverage

• An estimated 23.6 million people with employer health plans spent large shares of their annual income on premium contributions, out-of-pocket costs, or both in 2016-17. Of these, 13.3 million spent 10 percent or more on premiums alone, 6.2 million spent 10 percent or more (or 5 percent or more if they have lower incomes) on out-of-pocket costs excluding premiums, and 4.1 million reached...