Many Families Spend 10% of Household Income on Health Care

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, nearly 20% of American families spend 10% or more of their income on health care costs. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that this is a significant increase over the 11 million Americans who spent that much in 1996.

The people most likely to face these dramatic cost increases include low-income individuals, people with individual non-group coverage, older Americans age 55-64, women, and those living outside of major urban areas. The report also notes that much of the increased cost is associated with lack of preventive care – people who forgo care when a condition is more manageable can face high hospitalization costs later when their condition becomes dire.