State report: 37% of households had unexpected medical bill
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The Center for Health Information & Analysis headquarters in Boston
More than one-third of households in Massachusetts with health insurance had an unexpected medical bill in their family in 2019, according to a new survey by the state's Center for Health Information and Analysis.
Two new reports by CHIA are the first of what it plans to be a series analyzing health care affordability issues Massachusetts families face despite the state having among the best rates of healthcare coverage nationally.
Unexpected bills can hit when insurance covers less — or none — of a medical bill. CHIA found those unexpected bills took place for 37% of households with insurance in 2019, and nearly half of those had three or more such unexpected bills. Residents who received an unexpected medical bill in their family were more than three times as likely as those who did not to experience affordability issues in 2019, CHIA said.
A related survey by CHIA reported that 15% of insured residents had difficulty in 2019 in paying family medical bills. As a result, 65% of households said they cut back on savings, and 40% took on credit card debt. Just over half were contacted by a collection agency.
CHIA's initial reports, released Feb. 3, are the first of an expected six to run in three installments through April.
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