Defining Affordability for the Uninsured and People with Chronic Conditions

The researchers examined affordability of health insurance. In particular, they studied how different measures of affordability affect access to health insurance for: 1) those that are currently uninsured; and 2) those that have chronic health conditions requiring persistently high health care expenditures. The researchers used alternative measures of affordability (health care spending falling below a given standard of spending as a percent of family income) to: 1) describe the availability of affordable health insurance among the currently insured and uninsured populations; and 2) explain why take-up of health insurance varies, given affordability. The objective of this project was to provide empirical evidence of various measures of affordability to inform policy choices for increasing coverage and ensuring equitable financial burdens for those who acquire coverage.