Economic Program | Report

The Health Care Insecurity Index

by Anne Kim and David Kendall

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SUMMARY

This report finds that 88 million Americans (or roughly half of all working-age Americans) don’t have health care they can count on.

The vast majority of Americans are currently insured. Nevertheless, 88 million Americans between ages 18-64 and their families—or half of all working-age Americans—have experienced at least one of the following risk factors that makes their health care insecure:

  • A serious pre-existing condition, such as diabetes or a heart problem, which can make it harder or more expensive to get coverage
  • A gap in their insurance during the last year, meaning that they lacked a stable source of coverage or were uninsured
  • High premiums that consume more than 1 out of every 8 dollars earned or high out-of-pocket costs
  • Skipped a doctor’s visit due to costs Health insurance reform will end the anxieties Americans face about their health care.
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