Even with health insurance, medical care can be expensive. According to information released by Interact for Health and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, in 2015 two in 10 Kentucky adults (20 percent) had delayed or gone without medical care in the previous year due to cost.
This is about the same as in 2014 (22 percent). However, it is much lower than in 2009, when 32 percent of adults said yes. Information is from the 2015 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP).
“The average American’s annual cost per person for out-of-pocket health expenses is $1,036, including costs for any expenses not covered by insurance,” says Jennifer Chubinski, Ph.D., Vice President, Innovation and Learning, Interact for Health. “Even though more Kentuckians have health insurance than a few years ago, this is still a difficult financial burden for many.”
Lower income and being uninsured also factors in delaying care
Adults earning 138% or less of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (29 percent) were more likely than adults earning more than 138% FPL to have delayed or gone without medical care (16 percent). Delaying care was also more common among uninsured adults (27 percent) than insured adults (19 percent), but this is an improvement for uninsured adults. In 2015 they were much less likely to report going without care than they were in 2014 (38 percent) or 2009 (58 percent).
Nearly 3 in 10 adults had trouble paying medical bills; higher in Northern Kentucky
In 2015, nearly 3 in 10 Kentucky adults (28 percent) reported having problems paying medical bills. In 2014, 31 percent of adults reported this. In Northern Kentucky, nearly 4 in 10 adults (37 percent) reported trouble paying medical bills in 2015. Northern Kentucky was the only region where this number was significantly higher than the state.
Responses to this question did not differ by insurance status. About 3 in 10 insured (27 percent) and uninsured adults (31 percent) had trouble paying medical bills in the previous year. This is another improvement for uninsured adults. In 2015 they were much less likely than in 2014 (47 percent) to report having had trouble paying medical bills.
More information about Kentuckians’ issues with health care costs, and other topics, is available at www.interactforhealth.org/kentucky-health-issues-poll.
The 2015 Kentucky Health Issues Poll (KHIP) is funded by Interact for Health and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. KHIP was conducted Sept. 17-Oct. 7, 2015, by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati.
See www.interactforhealth.org/kentucky-health-issues-poll or www.healthy-ky.org.