More Than 25 Million Americans Underinsured, Study Finds

JEFFREY BROWN:

For many years now, the problem of the uninsured has been growing. Today, some 47 million Americans have no health insurance.

Now researchers are focusing again on another significant issue: the underinsured, those who have insurance coverage, but still struggle to pay their medical bills.

Last year, 25 million Americans, 1 in 5 under the age of 65, were underinsured, up from 16 million in 2003, according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonprofit foundation that studies health policy issues.

The report was released today in the journal Health Affairs. Cathy Schoen, the study's lead author, joins us now. Also with us is Susan Dentzer, now the editor-in-chief of Health Affairs and, of course, previously our longtime health correspondent.

And welcome back to you.

SUSAN DENTZER, Health Affairs:

Great to be back, Jeff. Thanks.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Let me start with you, Cathy Schoen. Now, let's explain a little bit more about what we mean by "underinsured." Who are we talking about? How do they qualify?

CATHY SCHOEN, The Commonwealth Fund:

We're talking about people who had insurance all year long, paid their premiums, but they have such poor protection that it left them paying 10 percent or more of their income for medical bills, the part of the medical bill that the insurance didn't pay, or if they were low-income, 5 percent of income, or the deductible alone equaled 5 percent of income.

And a lot of these had two deductibles, three deductibles in the family. So they were at risk both of medical debt, going bankrupt, but they also were going without care.

JEFFREY BROWN:

And your study makes pretty clear that this is now hitting people more — middle-class people.

CATHY SCHOEN:

Absolutely. One of the disturbing things in this study is that it's moved right up the economic ladder. The rate in the middle- and upper-income families has tripled over the last four years. So we're losing health and economic security in these families.