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The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Peterson Center on Health Care released a report yesterday showing that low income families enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) pay a much higher percentage of their income on premiums and out-of-pocket expenses than do higher income employees. That isn't surprising, though the percentage of income eaten up by healthcare is disturbing. Families in ESI earning up to 199% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) spend an average of 14% of income on healthcare, according to Kaiser's analysis of Census data. Families with at least one member in poor or fair health spend an average of 18.5% of income on healthcare.
What is somewhat surprising -- to me, anyway -- is that lower income families with ESI do not spend more in absolute terms than better-paid employees. I was under the impression that low income workers are often offered much skimpier insurance than higher income workers. That impression was at least partly derived from Kaiser's annual Employee Health Benefits Survey. Here's the contrast between employers with mainly low- vs. high-income employees from the 2018 survey:
The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Peterson Center on Health Care released a report yesterday showing that low income families enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) pay a much higher percentage of their income on premiums and out-of-pocket expenses than do higher income employees. That isn't surprising, though the percentage of income eaten up by healthcare is disturbing. Families in ESI earning up to 199% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) spend an average of 14% of income on healthcare, according to Kaiser's analysis of Census data. Families with at least one member in poor or fair health spend an average of 18.5% of income on healthcare.
What is somewhat surprising -- to me, anyway -- is that lower income families with ESI do not spend more in absolute terms than better-paid employees. I was under the impression that low income workers are often offered much skimpier insurance than higher income workers. That impression was at least partly derived from Kaiser's annual Employee Health Benefits Survey. Here's the contrast between employers with mainly low- vs. high-income employees from the 2018 survey:
