Measuring the Burden of Health Care Costs on US Families

Abstract

Affording health care has become a pressing national concern. According to a 2016 Gallup survey, 27% of individuals in the United States identified affordability as the country's "most urgent health problem." 1 The level of concern is both severe and new. In the late 1990s, HIV/AIDS was the top health concern. In 2008, the leading health concern was accessing medical services. Today, 57% of individuals report that they worry "a great deal" about "theavailabilityandaffordabilityofhealthcare." 1 Morethan 60% indicate that prescription drug prices should be a top healthcarepriority.Morethanaquarterofindividualshave postponed care owing to cost. 2 When discussing high health care costs, academics and policymakers cite multiple measures: total national health expenditures, health care inflation, health care spending as a percentage of the US economy, and health care "waste." Many individuals in the United States, and even many health care professionals, have difficulty graspingthesemacroeconomicindicators.Howmuchis$3.2trillion? Furthermore, these measures are deeply impersonal. They describe health care spending at the national level. Why should a family be concerned if health care is 17.5% of gross domestic product? Most important, these measures track expenditures, not affordability. They do not describe the ability to pay for health care.

Estimating the cost of admissions related to convulsive status epilepticus in the United States of America

“…Health care costs have been growing rapidly in recent decades, and currently represent approximately one third of the median household income for families in the USA [29]. Health care costs and affordability are therefore considered an urgent problem in the USA [29].…”

“…Health care costs have been growing rapidly in recent decades, and currently represent approximately one third of the median household income for families in the USA [29]. Health care costs and affordability are therefore considered an urgent problem in the USA [29]. Increases in health care costs in the USA are unsustainable [29,30], and one of the most realistic short-term strategies to address high prices include indentifying conditions where relatively straightforward interventions can save the most resources.…”

“…Health care costs and affordability are therefore considered an urgent problem in the USA [29]. Increases in health care costs in the USA are unsustainable [29,30], and one of the most realistic short-term strategies to address high prices include indentifying conditions where relatively straightforward interventions can save the most resources. Interventions that focus on early control SE are not only associated with better outcomes, but also with resource optimization.…”

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“…Family health insurance premiums, as a percentage of median income, have continued to rise and doubled over the past 2 decades. 11 The American Hospital Association's Environmental Scan reports that half of the public is at least somewhat worried they won't be able to afford needed healthcare services. Four in 10 (43%) adults with health insurance say they have difficulty affording their deductible, and roughly a third say they have trouble affording their premiums and other cost sharing.…”

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“…To personalize the actual cost and affordability of health care, Emanuel, Glickman, & Johnson (2017) proposed the development of an "Affordability Index" [2], which relates the average cost of health care to the average household income. The authors themselves indicated that the index is not perfect in determining the affordability of health care services.…”