10 hours ago - News
Louisiana families face highest health costs
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Louisianans spent the highest share of their income on health insurance in the U.S., according to a new analysis.
Why it matters: The findings show how tough it can be to afford health care, even with insurance, for many of the estimated 167 million Americans who get coverage through an employer.
- The state-by-state breakdown of federal data by the Commonwealth Fund looked at how much people spent on premiums — their contribution to the cost of their insurance — and on deductibles, their out-of-pocket costs before insurance starts to pay for medical services.
What they found: The share of income people spent on premium contributions and deductibles for family coverage in 2024 ranged from a high of 15.6% in Louisiana to a low of 5.7% in the District of Columbia, according to the analysis.
- Premiums alone exceeded the threshold of what the government considered "affordable" coverage in five states: West Virginia (8.6%), Mississippi (8.8%), North Carolina (8.8%), Florida (9.3%) and Louisiana (10.7%).