![\"News](\"https:\/\/media.healthday.com\/Images\/icimages\/obamacare417.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
MONDAY, Sept. 28, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
High out-of-pocket health care costs for low- and middle-income Americans with kids have fallen due to “Obamacare<\/a>,” but more needs to be done to reduce their medical-related financial struggles, a new study claims.<\/p>\n The researchers examined data from 2000 to 2017 on more than 92,000 U.S. families with one or more children under 18 and one or more adult parents or guardians.<\/p>\n Families with out-of-pocket health care costs above a set percentage of their annual income (for example, 3.5% of incomes below $20,000, or 8.4% of those at $75,000) were said to have high financial burdens. Those whose out-of-pocket costs exceeded 10% of their annual income were classified as having extreme financial burdens.<\/p>\n Before 2014 implementation of health insurance marketplaces and Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act<\/a>, over 35% of the lowest-income families had burdensome out-of-pocket costs. This fell to just under 24% after the measures took effect, the study found.<\/p>\n The proportion of families facing burdensome costs fell from about 25% to 17% among low-income families, and from 6% to 4.6% among middle-income families. Among high-income families, it remained relatively stable, falling from 1.1% to 0.9%, according to the study published Sept. 28 in JAMA Pediatrics<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n The study’s lead author was Lauren Wisk, an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine.<\/p>\n The findings show that the ACA<\/a> significantly improved access to coverage and was associated with a large reduction in financial burdens for families with children, the study authors said in a university news release.<\/p>\n But, Wisk’s team added, low- and middle-income families still face substantial burdens and require more help to ease them.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
Copyright \u00a9 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n
\n
\n ![](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/\/images\/slideshow\/health-care-reform-s1-stethoscope-money-calendar.jpg\"\/)
\n