STATISTICAL BRIEF #495: Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population by Age and Insurance Coverage, 2014

AHRQ Stats: Out-of-Pocket Health Care Spending

Average out-of-pocket expenses for health care services in 2014 ranged from $288 for children younger than 18 to $1,253 for people age 65 and older. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #495: Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses in the U.S. Civilian Non-Institutionalized Population by Age and Insurance Coverage, 2014.)

STATISTICAL BRIEF #495: Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population by Age and Insurance Coverage, 2014

STATISTICAL BRIEF #495: Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses in the U.S.  Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population by Age and  Insurance Coverage, 2014

October 2016

Philippe Gwet, PhD, Jerrod Anderson, PhD, and Steven R. Machlin, MS Highlights In 2014, people with some health care expenses paid an average of $688 out of pocket. However, the median out of pocket amount was notably lower ($204). Average out-of-pocket expenses increased with age, ranging from $288 for children under 18 to $1,253 for people aged 65 and older. The percentage of people with out-of-pocket expenses over $2,000 increased with age from 3.5 percent for children 18 or younger to 17.3 percent for people aged 65 or older. The uninsured paid the highest proportion of total health care expenses out of pocket while nonelderly persons with public insurance (primarily Medicaid) and elderly persons with Medicare and other public insurance coverage paid the lowest proportions.