According to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund, “Americans are struggling to pay medical bills and are accumulating medical debt at an increasing rate” due to health care costs that are rising faster than incomes and the soaring prices of food, gas and other items, reports the Washington Post.
“Two-thirds of the working-age population was uninsured, underinsured, reported a medical bill problem or did not get needed health care because of cost in 2007,” the study found. Among those struggling to pay their medical bills, “39 percent used all their savings, 30 percent incurred large credit card debt, and 29 percent said medical bills left them unable to pay for basic necessities such as food, heat or rent,” according to the article. The survey showed that 28 percent of working-age adults were uninsured at some point in 2007, compared to 24 percent in 2001. But the problems dealing with medical costs were not limited to those without insurance. In fact, “61 percent of those with medical debt or bill problems were insured at the time they needed medical attention.”
While half of people with incomes below $20,000 were uninsured in 2007, up one percentage point from 2001, the increase among those earning between $20,000 and $40,000 was much higher--from 28 percent to 41 percent. Eighteen percent of those earning between $40,000 and $60,000 were uninsured, up five percentage points from 2001, and the uninsured rate among those earning more than $60,000 rose from 4 percent to 8 percent, reports the Post.
According to the study, a universal health care system “is key to improving health care.” Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, said: “The U.S. stands out for being the only country…that reports significant fractions of the population not getting needed care.”
Source(s): Joshi, Washington Post, 8/20/08

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 16:3, September 2008. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org.