Lower-income adults with employer-sponsored insurance face additional challenges compared to higher-income adults, such as issues paying for healthcare services and experiencing a decline in health, according to a new report.
The KFF report, published Tuesday, pulled from data from the KFF Survey of Consumer Experiences with Health Insurance. It received responses from a sample of 3,605 U.S. adults, including 978 with employer-sponsored insurance, 815 with Medicaid, 885 with Medicare, 880 with Marketplace plans and 47 with a Military plan. The Tuesday report focused on those with coverage through their employer.
It found that of those with employer-sponsored insurance, 31% of lower-income adults reported having trouble paying their medical bills, versus 13% of higher-income adults.
However, lower-income adults and higher-income adults reported having common insurance problems — like prior authorization issues or denied claims — at similar rates. But adults with lower incomes were more likely to delay care or experience negative health outcomes because of these insurance problems. For example, 30% of lower-income adults had a moderate or serious decline in health due to insurance problems, versus 11% of higher-income adults. In addition, 26% of lower-income adults said there was a delay in care because of insurance issues, compared to 14% of higher-income adults.
There are several reasons for these outcomes, KFF noted.
“High health care costs may deter lower-income adults with [employer-sponsored insurance] from seeking the medical care they need, leading to worse health outcomes,” KFF said. “Lower-income adults often cannot afford to lose income to see their health care provider if their job does not offer enough sick leave or paid time off, which could also lead to worse health outcomes down the line. Some lower-income individuals are denied care due to outstanding medical bills, which could worsen any illness or condition that they have.”
Additional findings from the report include:
- Lower-income adults with employer-sponsored insurance were more likely to give their health insurance a “fair” or “poor” rating than higher-income adults. Specifically, 31% of lower-income adults gave this rating, compared to 17% of higher-income adults.
- About 20% of lower-income adults said they experienced challenges in the application process for insurance, while only 10% of higher-income adults said this.
- Another 29% of those with lower incomes said it was difficult to compare the monthly premium for insurance options, versus 17% of people with higher incomes.
- About 29% of lower-income adults said they had issues finding a health plan, twice as much as higher-income adults at 14%.
Photo: Tero Vesalainen, Getty Images
