Drugmakers and others who want the 340B program to disappear sometimes argue there’s less need for the drug discounts in the post-Obamacare era. New research shows why they’re wrong.
Underinsurance in America is growing, as non-elderly adults are paying more out-of-pocket for private health insurance, a new Commonwealth Fund study finds. What’s more, the problem is most acute among low-income Americans who depend on 340B hospitals.
This fall, the health care think tank surveyed 2,751 adults ages 19 to 64 about their health insurance and health care costs. Twenty-one percent of those who either had insurance through an employer or bought it themselves spent 5 percent or more of their income on out of-pocket costs, not including premiums. Thirteen percent of privately insured adults had a deductible of 5 percent or more of income.
“Adults with low incomes had the highest rates of steep out-of-pocket costs,” the group said. “About three of five privately insured adults with low incomes and half of those with moderate incomes reported that their deductibles are difficult to afford. Two of five adults with private insurance who had high deductibles relative to their income said they had delayed needed care because of the deductible.”
“Adults with lower incomes were significantly more likely to say it was difficult to afford their copayments or coinsurance than were adults with higher incomes,” the group also said. Forty-six percent of insured adults with incomes under 200 percent of poverty said that because of their copayments or coinsurance, they had delayed needed care such as filling a prescription.