Latest From The Inside Look Series: Affordability Findings From The Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey
DATE: March 4, 2021
CHIA today released the second installment in a series of research notes, An Inside Look: Affordability Findings from the Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey (MHIS). This installment includes two notes. The first examines families with high spending on health care. The second explores the prevalence of affordability issues for privately insured residents with high deductible health plans.
This series provides a comprehensive look at health care affordability issues that Massachusetts residents face despite high rates of health insurance coverage in the Commonwealth.
Key Findings:
- In 2019, 15% of insured residents reported spending a high share of their family income on out-of-pocket expenses.
- Among low-income, insured residents, 41% reported that they spent a high share of their family income on out-of-pocket expenses.
- Thirty-six percent of privately insured residents had a high deductible health plan (HDHP).
- Fifty-two percent of privately insured residents with HDHPs reported affordability issues.
The next series installment, to be published in early April, will cover the impact of medical debt on Massachusetts residents as well as explore how residents face unmet health care needs due to high health care costs.
Findings for the Inside Look series come from the Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey (MHIS). The MHIS is a biennial population-based survey that provides information on health insurance coverage, health care access and use, and perceived health care affordability in Massachusetts. For additional information on the MHIS, please visit https://www.chiamass.gov/massachusetts-health-insurance-survey/.
