Despite ACA Coverage Gains, Millions Still Suffer ‘Catastrophic’ Health Care Costs – By Kristen Kendrick (NPR) / Nov 12 2020
When it comes to worries about high health care costs, having health insurance doesn’t necessarily spare you, according to a study recently published in JAMA.
Despite the gains in insurance coverage brought by the Affordable Care Act, high health care costs continue to plague many Americans, researchers found. Around 11 million Americans experienced “catastrophic medical expenses” in 2017, the last year the study covered — and privately insured people represented more than half of those.
“Catastrophic expenditures” is a term coined by the World Health Organization that refers to health care spending of more than 40% of a person’s income after food and housing costs.
During the study period from 2010 to 2017, 6 million people between 20 and 64 years old with private insurance suffered such financial burdens, and their share of the total who reported them went up from 46% to nearly 54%. The study found an overall decrease in catastrophic expenses by 2017 — in particular people on Medicaid saw a decrease — but not among the privately insured.
