• 01
  • April
    2011

According to a report from the Commonwealth Fund, four in ten American struggled to make payments on their medical bills last year. According to Commonwealth President Karen Davis, the report proves that health care has become increasingly difficult to receive at an affordable rate.

Increasing health care costs, lack of insurance coverage and unemployment has led many Americans to forego care in an attempt to avoid accruing medical debt. The report also found that more than 40 percent of Americans went without necessary medical care due to high health care costs. Ten years ago, less than 30 percent of Americans opted out of medical care to save money.

The Commonwealth Fund conducts a health insurance survey every two years, questioning approximately 30,000 working-age Americans about their health care. The recent report found that many of the adults have lost jobs - and employer-provided health insurance - in the recession.

Almost 25 percent of the individuals surveyed reported that either they or their partner had become unemployed during the past two years, with a majority of the newly unemployed reporting that they had been unable to obtain new health insurance after the layoff. Less than 15 percent of those laid off were unable to utilize COBRA to continue to receive benefits through their employer-provided health insurance plans. This is likely partially due to the government's discontinuance of a partial COBRA subsidy in May 2010.

Even individuals who managed to keep their jobs throughout the recession may not be receiving health insurance. One poll conducted by Gallup showed that there has been an overall decline in health care provided by employers. Another poll showed that nearly every U.S. state, including Tennessee, has reported a rise in the number of residents who do not have health care coverage.

Source: Kaiser Health News, "Many Adults Struggle To Pay Medical Bills, Report Finds", Aimee Miles, 16 March 2011