New report shows fewer Texans have problems paying medical bills

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/ru-nrs010716.php

Public Release: 7-Jan-2016
New report shows fewer Texans have problems paying medical bills
15 percent drop includes both insured and uninsured adults
Rice University

Fewer Texans say they have problems paying their medical bills in 2015 compared with 2013, according to a new report released today by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF).

The report found that since enrollment began in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance marketplace, the percentage of Texans who reported problems paying health care bills dropped almost 15 percent (25.8 percent in 2013 to 22 percent in 2015). The drop was consistent across income levels and health insurance status and corresponds with national data showing the percentage of adults reporting problems paying medical bills dropped across the U.S.

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"The fact that Texans had fewer problems paying their medical bills in 2015 is good news," said Vivian Ho, the chair in health economics at Rice's Baker Institute and director of the institute's Center for Health and Biosciences, a professor of economics at Rice and a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. "One reason fewer Texans are having problems paying medical bills is because more Texans now have health insurance. However, one in five Texans still has problems affording health care. And it's no surprise our data show the uninsured and those with lower incomes continue to struggle paying those bills more than anyone else."

The report found that 30 percent of uninsured Texans reported problems paying their health care costs in 2015, down from 35 percent in 2013. Researchers found just 20 percent of those with health insurance said they had problems paying medical bills last year, down from 23 percent in 2013.

When it comes to skipping health care services because of cost, the report found uninsured Texans are more likely to skip all services (primary care, specialist care, prescription drugs, etc.) than those with insurance. However, researchers discovered fewer uninsured Texans said they skipped getting care in 2015 compared with 2013.

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