Study: 6 in 10 uninsured adults cite high cost of coverage as barrier to coverage

While Americans lacking health insurance may be eligible for Medicaid or a plan under the Affordable Care Act, they may face barriers to enrolling, be unaware of their eligibility or be unable to find affordable plans, according to research from the health policy research organization KFF (Source: “High costs prevent 63% of uninsured adults from getting coverage, report shows,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Aug. 29).
 
Medical bills that aren’t covered by charity care can quickly translate into medical debt since most people who are uninsured don’t have much in savings, according to a 2024 KFF research paper looking at who is uninsured, the reasons why they lack insurance and how that lack affects access to health care.
 
The research found that in 2023, 63% of uninsured adults ages 18-64 said that they were uninsured because the cost of coverage was too high. It also found that most uninsured people are in families with low incomes and have at least one worker in the family.
 
Future changes to Medicaid — including proposals that would alter how Medicaid is financed or impose work requirements — could lead to fewer people getting Medicaid, KFF said.
 
Last week, HPIO released a fact sheet that outlines how HR 1 (the federal reconciliation bill) and Ohio HB 96 (the state budget bill) will impact access to care and affordability in Ohio. The fact sheet is the first in a series of HPIO publications about the current affordability and access challenges facing working Ohioans.