Millions in U.S. can't afford health insurance

LOS ANGELES, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Millions in the United States can't afford health insurance as employer-based coverage is not an option, a new survey finds.

Most people in the United States who try to buy an individual health insurance policy on their own never end up getting coverage, often because the premiums are just too expensive, according to the study published by Health Day News on Tuesday.

Roughly three of every four people who tried to buy a policy from the individual health insurance market in the past three years didn't get one, said the study by the Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that supports independent research on health policy reform.

The study cited premium cost as the main reason. About 57 percent of the people surveyed said it was very hard or even impossible to find coverage they could afford, while about 47 percent said it was difficult or impossible to find a plan with the coverage they needed, and 36 percent reported being charged more or denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition or having the condition excluded from their coverage.

Called "Failure to Protect: Why the Individual Insurance Market Is Not a Viable Option for Most U.S. Families," the report compared the experiences of working-age adults with individual- and employer-based private health insurance.

It also found that people who bought health insurance in the individual market spend a lot more on premiums and deductibles than those with employer-based coverage.

The survey found that among U.S. adults with individual insurance, 64 percent spend 3,000 dollars or more annually on premiums, whereas just 20 percent of those with employer-based insurance spend that much. Out-of-pocket expenses, including premiums, averaged 6,750 dollars for people with individual market insurance, compared with 2,250 for those with employer-based plans.

"In our current system, millions of people without access to employer coverage have no affordable option for health insurance," said Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund.

"To achieve a health-care system that works for all Americans, we need health-care reform that offers comprehensive, affordable health insurance to everyone regardless of their health status, premium subsidies to help families with low and moderate incomes afford health insurance, and requirements to ensure that no one is denied health insurance because of a health problem," said Davis.