Outcome Evidence

• Establishing an Affordability Index can directly link health care costs to income, which could help to sensitize physicians, hospital executives, pharmaceutical companies, and other health care professionals to the financial burden health care accounts for among individuals in the United States. source
• In a representative survey conducted prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), most respondents felt that households should be expected to pay about 5% of income for health insurance coverage, regardless of income. source
• The Commonwealth Fund did an affordability-focused study, specifically surveying  privately insured adults age 19-64 with deductibles of 5% or more of their income. Of those interviewed, 43% said their deductible was either very difficult or impossible to afford and two out of five adults with high deductibles (relative to income) did not receive necessary care as a result of cost. source