By Elise Lowry, Annaliese Johnson, Amanda Hunt, Tad Lee
Health care affordability is a top concern for consumers and is often the No. 1 issue that state residents want their policy makers to work on. Health care affordability problems cause stress and anxiety for families, crowd out other critical family spending, and lead to poorer and less equitable health outcomes. A shocking 56 percent of consumers nationwide say that costs have led to sacrifices in their health care, including delaying or skipping care, experiencing pain or doing without medications. In addition, affordability concerns extend far up the income ladder, and medical debt remains a financial burden for both those with and without insurance coverage.