The Financial Burden of Paying for Medical Services for Uninsured Children

Jessica C. Smith, U.S. Census Bureau
Brett O'Hara, U.S. Census Bureau

With rising health care costs, Americans face a greater financial burden of paying for medical care for uninsured children. This financial burden of paying for children’s health care may be greater than anticipated, particularly because most of the uninsured have low to moderate incomes. The combination of rising medical costs, low incomes, and increasing out-of-pocket expenditures can quickly lead to extreme levels of debt. This year, the Current Population Survey (CPS) will release content for medical out-of-pocket expenditures. Using this and other available CPS data (such as health insurance coverage, race and ethnicity, and income-to-poverty ratio), this research compares the medical expenditure data of children who are insured with those who are uninsured. It also examines the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of uninsured children with the greatest medical out-of-pocket expenditures.