High-Deductible Health Insurance May Exacerbate Racial And Ethnic Wealth Disparities.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Project Hope Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8303128 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2694-233X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 02782715 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Health Aff (Millwood) Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: : Bethesda, MD : Project Hope
      Original Publication: Millwood, Va. : Project Hope, c1981-
    • Subject Terms:
      Deductibles and Coinsurance*/economics ; Ethnicity* ; Insurance, Health*/statistics & numerical data ; Insurance, Health*/economics; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Black or African American ; Health Expenditures/statistics & numerical data ; Healthcare Disparities/economics ; Healthcare Disparities/ethnology ; Hispanic or Latino ; Income/statistics & numerical data ; Insurance Coverage/statistics & numerical data ; Racial Groups ; Socioeconomic Factors ; United States ; White
    • Abstract:
      This study examined the equity implications of high-deductible health plans within the context of racial and ethnic wealth disparities. Using restricted data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we evaluated the net worth (in 2011-18) and financial assets (in 2011-16) of families with private insurance and those in high-deductible health plans with and without an associated health savings account. Our results represent, to our knowledge, the first estimates of racial and ethnic wealth disparities within these populations. Results show that White households consistently held significantly more wealth than did Black and Hispanic households across income levels. In the lowest income quartile, White privately insured families had more than 350 percent more in financial assets than their Black counterparts. Low-income Black and Hispanic families with high-deductible health plans but no savings accounts had median financial assets ($2,200 and $2,000, respectively) that were well below the average family coverage deductible. Study findings highlight the role of systemic racial wealth disparities, beyond that of income, to establish a unique pathway whereby high deductibles can exacerbate health care inequities.
    • Comments:
      Erratum in: Health Aff (Millwood). 2024 Dec;43(12):1734. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2024.01445. (PMID: 39626156)
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20241007 Date Completed: 20241007 Latest Revision: 20241203
    • Publication Date:
      20241204
    • Accession Number:
      10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01199
    • Accession Number:
      39374453