AHRQ Stats: Out-Of-Pocket Health Spending

Nearly one in five people with health expenses paid more than $1,000 out-of-pocket in 2011 while 8 percent paid more than $2,000 out of pocket that same year. Overall, about 85 percent of the U.S. population had health care expenses in 2011. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #441: Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses by Age and Insurance Coverage, 2011.)

STATISTICAL BRIEF #441:
Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses by Age and Insurance Coverage, 2011

June 2014

Steven R. Machlin, MS and Kelly Carper, MEd

Highlights

In 2011, an average of $703 was paid out of pocket for health care among people with some health care expenses. However, the median out-of-pocket amount was notably lower ($237).
Nearly one-fifth of people with some health care expenses had out-of-pocket expenses greater than $1,000 while 8.2 percent had out-of-pocket expenses greater than $2,000.
Average out-of-pocket expenses increased with age, ranging from $283 for children under 18 to $1,215 for people age 65 and older.
On average, the uninsured paid nearly two-thirds of their health care expenses out of pocket while people under age 65 covered by public insurance and people age 65 and older covered by Medicare and other public insurance paid a substantially lower percentage (only 9–11 percent).