It’s no secret that health care in America has long been expensive and, for some, unaffordable, but is that still the case? Yes, says a recent KFF poll showing that health care costs continue to be an active concern for Americans across age groups, income levels, and insurance statuses.
Nearly A Quarter of Those Polled Had Trouble Affording Health Care
According to the poll, in the last 12 months, 23% of those surveyed (or those in their household) had trouble affording health care. Most of those were younger than 65.
Among those making less than $40,000 a year, 28% had trouble paying for health care, while 23% of those making $40,000 to $89,999 and 16% of those making $90,000+ were also having trouble.
Health Care Unaffordable for Over Half of Uninsured, Almost a Quarter of Insured
In the last 12 months, 55% of those that were uninsured and 22% of those that were insured had difficulty affording health care.
These poll numbers show that, while affording health care appears to be easier for those who have insurance and/or have greater income compared to those who do not, even people in these groups can find affording health care challenging.
How CBE Helps Health care Clients and their Customers
At CBE, we know that health care expenses can add up to medical debt for anyone. That’s why, in 2021, we leveraged our decades of health care collections experience to create our Healthcare Center of Excellence in Clarksville, TN, that’s committed to providing optimal customer experience training to our agents dedicated to health care clients. These health care agents help customers address their medical debt with compassion and empathy, offering choices of payment plans to fit their situation, with payments accepted through our online portal, smart IVR, and live voice options.