Underinsurance threatens physical and financial wellbeing of US families

doi:10.1136/bmj.a419

From trainee to consultant, BMJ Group offers doctors around the world tailored information, special events, learning resources and recruitment services at every step along their career path.

... by doctors, for doctors, for patients
We are open for entries!

Online learning

BMJ Learning

High-quality CME / CPD for doctors and other healthcare professionals. BMJ Learning features hundreds of accredited, peer-reviewed learning modules in text, video, and audio formats. Find out more

Courses and Qualifications

BMJ Masterclasses

BMJ Masterclasses, led by experts, help clinicians to use the latest evidence and recent guidelines in practice and meet their CPD/CME requirements. Find out more

Exam Preparation

The leading provider of online exam preparation, helping over 167,000 healthcare professionals to pass their exams. Find out more

onExamination

Search all BMJ news articles:

From

The BMJ iPad app brings you the best of print and online, including live links to the latest news, blogs, video, and podcasts. Get the BMJ iPad app.
Countdown to London 2012: BMJ Group's Olympics portal highlights latest Olympics and sports medicine-themed research, comment and learning
Keep up to date with cardiology: Access the latest cardiovascular medicine resources from across BMJ Group.
Our online table of contents is updated at least twice each day. Read all articles published in the last 7 days.
OPEN ACCESS: All research articles are freely available online, with no word limit. Find out more about the BMJ's open access policy. Submit your paper.

Access to the full text of this article requires a subscription or payment. Please log in or subscribe below.

Jeanne Lenzer

¹New York

A survey has found that one of every eight US adults is “underinsured,” causing many families to file for bankruptcy and forgo needed health care (Health Affairs 2008 Jun 10; doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.27.4.w298).

The survey of 2616 US adults, conducted by the Commonwealth Fund, a charitable organisation based in New York that promotes a “high performing healthcare system,” found that 42% of people aged 19 to 65 had either no health insurance or were underinsured in 2007—up from 35% in 2003 (Health Affairs 2005 Jun 14; doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.w5.289).

Respondents were defined as underinsured if they spent 10% or more of …