Newly released data shows 13% of Connecticut households can’t afford their healthcare costs.
The problem is even bigger with families who get their insurance through an employer, with Office of Health Strategy Commissioner Deidre Gifford estimating that number is around 20%.
“What we found, as you’ve seen, is there is a significant chunk of families struggling to pay all of their healthcare bills,” Gifford said.
The data, released earlier this week, highlights the problems people like Dennis Thomas face.
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Thomas, of Rocky Hill, had a heart transplant 15 years ago and has been battling colon cancer for years.
“I take about 50 pills a day and with doctors appointments, I have a little saying that I'm always on call,” Thomas said.
Thomas is currently on Medicaid but had insurance through his employer when he had his heart transplant, a procedure he said cost “over $1 million.”
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He’s still has tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt and he said the stress of those piling bills only made his health condition worse.
“It was a surreal feeling because I'm waiting for a heart but I still have bills that are piling up,” Thomas said.
According to the OHS study, healthcare is considered affordable when all costs – including insurance premiums, deductibles and other costs – are between 7% and 11% of a household’s income, depending on the size of the family.
OHS did the study in partnership with Comptroller Sean Scanlon and the Connecticut Health Foundation.
“Our state’s success relies on everyone being able to live their healthiest lives, and that includes being able to afford to get health care when they need it,” CHF President and CEO Tiffany Donelson said in a statement. “Unfortunately, too many families still face unaffordable health care costs.”
Gifford said the costs, including for insurance, are rising because of the price of healthcare. She said the main drivers on healthcare costs are prescription drugs and hospital visits.
OHS has been trying to address those costs, setting benchmark goals for increases and holding hearings to try and find the underlying drivers.
“We need to work collaboratively with those industries and with our colleagues in health insurance to tackle those rising costs,” Gifford said.
NBC Connecticut reached out to the co-chairs of the legislature’s Public Health and Insurance and Real Estate committees, but those lawmakers weren’t available for comment today.
Gifford said OHS plans to release recommendations later this fall, mainly focused on improving transparency for patients who want to know why their bills are so high.
