More People Struggling to Pay Medical Bills

According to the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, the Gallup poll found that:

• 52% of the uninsured reported problems paying for health care or medications at some point in 2008, compared with 14% of those with insurance;


• Fewer U.S. residents reported getting health insurance through their employer as the year progressed, with 59% of people enrolled in employer-sponsored coverage in the first quarter of the year and 58% in the last quarter


• 17% of whites reported problems paying for health care or medications, compared with 30% of blacks, 31% of Hispanics and 13% of Asians. The number of blacks reporting health care payment trouble increased by six percentage points from the first quarter of 2008 to the last quarter to 34%;


• Hawaii had the smallest percentage of residents who reported having problems paying for medical care or medication at 12%, compared with Mississippi, which had the highest percentage at 29%;


• Income levels influenced how people felt about their physical well-being, with 40% of those with monthly incomes between $500 and $1,000 reporting dissatisfaction with their health, compared with 10% of those making at least $10,000 a month;


• 15% of married people reported having trouble paying medical bills, compared with 19% of divorced people, 24% of single people, 32% of people in domestic partnerships and 16% of those who are widowed;


• 22% of females reported difficulty, compared with 17% of men; and


• 39% of people with incomes of less than $2,000 per month reported problems paying for medical care or medications, compared with 24% of those with monthly incomes between $2,000 and $3,999, 12% of those with monthly incomes between $4,000 and $7,499, and 7% of those with monthly incomes of $7,500 or more (USA Today graphic, 3/11).