Center for Studying Health System Change, Washington, DC, USA.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2010 May;29(5):1037-44. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0493. Epub 2010 Mar 25.
The financial burden of health care--the ratio of total out-of-pocket spending for health care services and premiums to total family income--continues to increase nationally. As a result of this trend, more people have been exposed to high costs and lack essential services. This study examines trends nationally and among selected states between 2001 and 2006. The results show considerable state-to-state variation associated mainly with differences in family income and, to a lesser extent, out-of-pocket spending for insurance premiums. Nationally, middle- and higher-income people with private insurance experienced the largest increases in financial burden. Moreover, almost 30 percent of the U.S. population either had a high financial burden of health costs or were uninsured. These facts underscore that escalating health care costs affect all socioeconomic strata, not just the poor.
医疗保健的经济负担——用于医疗服务和保险费的总自付支出与家庭总收入的比例——在全国范围内持续上升。由于这一趋势，更多的人面临高额费用和缺乏基本服务的问题。本研究考察了 2001 年至 2006 年期间全国和部分州的趋势。结果显示，各州之间存在很大的差异，主要与家庭收入的差异有关，其次是保险费的自付支出。在全国范围内，拥有私人保险的中高收入人群的经济负担增长最大。此外，近 30%的美国人口要么面临高额的医疗费用负担，要么没有医疗保险。这些事实表明，不断上升的医疗保健成本影响到所有社会经济阶层，而不仅仅是穷人。
