Cost

This compilation of tables and figures shows information on health insurance coverage, cost of care and coverage, and access to care and coverage for people 55-64 years of age.

Expenditures by Health Condition

Table 8. Mean expenditures by health condition and self-reported health status for adults insured throughout 2006.

Condition/Health Status	Ages 25-34	Ages 55-64
Condition/Health Status	Mean	Mean
All persons	3,412	6,251^*
Asthma	7,151	10,310^*
Cancer	11,463	12,357
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	5,100	9,916^*
Depression	7,156	11,656^*
Diabetes	8,136	11,114^*
Heart disease	9,421	12,066^*
Hypertension	6,825	8,189^*
Any chronic condition	4,951	7,377^*
Trauma	4,958	8,418^*
No chronic condition	1,391	1,692
Self-reported health: excellent/very good/good	2,695	4,850^*
Self-reported health: fair/poor	10,515	13,665^*

Source: 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey—Household Component
* indicates that the estimates for ages 25-54 and 55-64 are statistically different at the 5% level. Expenditures are reported for individuals with a condition. Individuals with more than one condition are included in the means for each condition.

Overall, near-elderly adults had much higher mean medical expenditures than younger adults (Table 8).
Mean expenditures for individuals with particular chronic conditions, except cancer, were higher for near-elderly individuals than for younger individuals.

Return to Contents

Non-Group Premiums

Table 9. Premiums in the non-group health insurance market (in 2006 dollars) using pooled data from 2004-2006

Policies	# Policies	Standard Error	Mean Premium	Standard Error
All policies	5,824,599	286,413	3,770	137
Single policies	4,011,844	219,725	2,909	128
Family policies	1,812,754	142,355	5,675	280
Single policies: Age 0-39	1,761,440	165,407	1,714	98
Single policies: Age 40-54	1,153,929	98,786	3,570^*	262
Single policies: Age 55-59	569,420	64,040	3,911^*	349
Single policies: Age 60-64	527,055	64,268	4,374^*	358
Family policies: Age 0-44	818,187	91,577	4,275	265
Family policies: Age 45-54	589,353	70,522	6,088^*	318
Family policies: Age 55-64	405,215	57,711	7,901^*	860

Source: 2006 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey—Household Component
* indicates that the estimate is significantly different from that for the lowest age category.

In the 2004-2006 period, there were on average 5.8 million policies per year purchased in the non-group (individual) insurance market, covering 9.1 million persons.
There were 4.0 million single policies with a mean premium of $2,909 (Table 9).
There were 1.8 million family policies covering 5.1 million individuals with a mean premium of $5,675.
For single policies, policyholders aged 40-54 ($3,570), policyholders aged 55-59 ($3,911), and policyholders aged 60-64 ($4,374) had premiums that were significantly higher than policyholders aged 0-39 ($1,714). The differences in mean premiums for policyholders aged 40-54 and 55-59 and for policyholders aged 55-59 and 60-64 were not statistically significant.
For family policies, policyholders aged 45-54 ($6,088), and policyholders aged 55-64 ($7,901) had premiums that were significantly higher than policyholders aged 0-44 ($4,275).

Return to Contents

Financial Burdens

Go to Appendix Table A1 for more detailed information on this chart. Financial burden refers to people who have out-of-pocket costs for medical care and premiums that exceed 10% of the family's after-tax income.

Near-elderly individuals were consistently at greater risk of living with high financial burdens than adults ages 25-44, regardless of their insurance status (Figure 5).
Near-elderly individuals and those ages 45-54 with private nongroup coverage had similarly high burdens.

Return to Contents
Proceed to Next Section

Page last reviewed May 2009

Internet Citation: Cost. May 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. https://archive.ahrq.gov/policymakers/health-initiatives/meps/mepsneareld/neareld2.html