Many Washington residents say health care is a major worry and are looking to lawmakers to address the health care cost crisis, according to new survey results presented at yesterday’s meeting of the Washington State Health Care Cost Transparency Board. The survey of more than 1,300 Washingtonians across the state shows that 81% report being worried about affording health care, 62% have had at least one healthcare affordability burden over the last year, and 56% delayed or went without health care because of cost.

People have had starkly different experiences with medical debt that are linked to race and disability status, the survey shows. More than 60% of people in a household with a person with a disability, 56% of Black/African-American respondents, and 54% of Hispanic/Latinx respondents reported going into debt, depleting savings, or going without other needs due to medical bills, compared to 36% of White respondents. “Sadly, it is no surprise that people of color and those with disabilities have higher rates of medical debt and that is exactly why we need to work on equity in health care, especially for those who are hardest hit,” says Emily Brice, Senior Attorney and Policy Advisor at Northwest Health Law Advocates.  

The survey found widespread support across party lines for government action, including

• strengthening policies to drive more competition and improve access and choice (87%);
• imposing price controls on contracts between insurers and healthcare providers (87%); and
• setting and enforcing limits on health care spending growth (82%).

The survey by Altarum, a nonprofit organization working to advance health through research, and its Healthcare Value Hub, was conducted between August 6, 2022 and August 13, 2022 and was designed to elicit respondents’ unbiased views on a wide range of health system issues, including confidence using the health system, financial burden, and views on policy solutions.

Read the press release.