Health care in the United States is expensive and, for many, unaffordable, conditions which drive unacceptable health outcomes and burden household and state budgets. This is true for patients across the spectrum, with even insured patients experiencing difficulty. In a recent KFF poll, about half of insured adults and 85 percent of uninsured adults reported difficulty affording health care costs.1 Patients of color are more likely to report difficulty affording care: 60 percent of Black patients and 65 percent of Hispanic patients reported difficulty affording care, compared to only 39 percent of white patients.
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Table of Contents
- How States Can Protect Patients from Harmful Hospital Pricing Practices 1
- THOMAS WALDROP 1
- LEX BRIERLEY 1
- The Inequitable Burden of Affording Health Care 2
- FIGURE 1 2
- FIGURE 2 2
- Predatory Hospital Practices Increase Health Care Prices 3
- Predatory Debt Collection Practices 3
- FIGURE 3 3
- FIGURE 4 3
- Facility Fees Drive Up the Cost of Care 4
- MAP 1 4
- Manipulation of Surprise Billing Protections 4
- Policy Solutions That Will Rein In Predatory Hospital Behavior 5
- Reform charity care requirements and medical debt laws. 6
- Reduce hospitals’ ability to impose facility fees. 7
- Build on federal surprise billing protections. 8
- Reforming Hospital Behavior Is a Crucial Part of Equitably Lowering Costs 8
- Notes 9
- Thomas Waldrop, Fellow 12
- Lex Brierley, Health Care Intern 12
- LATEST 12
- Medicaid Has a Critical Role in More Equitable Maternal Health Care 12
- How States Can Advance Health Equity While Lowering Costs 13
- State Reference Pricing Can Lower Health Care Costs Equitably 13
- Tracking Progress of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus 14
- Enhanced ACA Marketplace Tax Credits Worked—And Shouldn’t Be Eliminated 15
- Health Policy for Older Americans Better Under President Biden than Trump 15
- Stay informed by signing up for our mailing list 15
