Problems paying medical bills, 2018

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cha, Amy E. ; Cohen, Robin A.
• Corporate Authors:
  National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.)
• Description:
  Data from the National Health Interview Survey
  
  - Overall, the percentage of persons who were in families having problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months decreased from 19.7% in 2011 to 14.2% in 2018.
  
  - In 2018, the percentage of persons who were in families having problems paying medical bills was higher among females (14.7%), children (16.2%), and non-Hispanic black persons (20.6%) compared with males, adults, and other racial and ethnic groups, respectively.
  
  - Among persons under age 65, those who were uninsured were more likely than those with Medicaid or private coverage to have problems paying medical bills.
  
  - Among adults aged 65 and over, those with Medicare and Medicaid, and Medicare only were more likely than those with Medicare Advantage or private coverage to have problems paying medical bills.
  
  Previously published data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) found that in 2017 one in seven persons under age 65 was in a family having problems paying medical bills (1). Significant expenses for one family member may adversely affect the whole family (2). People who are in families with problems paying medical bills may experience serious financial consequences, such as having problems with paying for food, clothing, or housing, and filing for bankruptcy (3). Health insurance coverage status (i.e., uninsured, public coverage, or private coverage) may also impact the ability to afford health care costs (4). This report examines characteristics of persons who live in families that have problems paying medical bills.
  
  Suggested citation: Cha AE, Cohen RA. Problems paying medical bills, 2018. NCHS Data Brief, no 357. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2020.
  
  CS314475
  
  db357-h.pdf
  
  
• Subjects:
  Fees, Medical Health Expenditures Health Services Accessibility Medically Uninsured Poverty/economics Prescription Fees Socioeconomic Factors
• Series:
  NCHS Data Briefs
• Document Type:
  Journal Issue
• Genre:
  Statistics
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  7 Pages
• Issue:
  357
• Collection(s):
  National Center for Health Statistics
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:50c3c351375626a2945f49ddd324c5a89204533f7f8210e643b3fa3495568b010dac08606d00a1870afb550523670b10977f1e299d7b08bb6b403ba6dddf6e54
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/85027/cdc_85027_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 446.31 KB ]