Brigette Courtot, Senior Health Policy Analyst

by Brigette Courtot, Policy Analyst, 
National Women's Law Center 

This post is part of a series on Women and Health Reform.

by Brigette Courtot, Policy Analyst, 
National Women's Law Center 

This post is part of a series on Women and Health Reform.

If you’re looking for more evidence that the individual health insurance market (that unwelcoming place where people buy coverage directly from insurance companies) is failing us in pretty much every way possible, add this new brief from the Commonwealth Fund to the pile. Aptly titled “Failure to Protect,” it uses findings from a 2007 survey to illustrate why the individual insurance market is anything but a reliable source for comprehensive and affordable health coverage. Consider these findings:

• Most adults who shopped for coverage in the individual market found it very difficult or impossible to find a plan that fit their needs—they were either denied due to a preexisting health condition or were offered a plan that was too expensive or that didn’t cover the care they needed.  The majority (73%) never ended up buying a plan.
• Adults who do purchase individual market plans spend considerably more on health care than those with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI); 51% of people with individual market coverage spent 10% of their income or more on out-of-pocket costs (all medical expenses, premiums, and prescription drugs), compared to 29% of those with ESI. Median spending for those with individual market coverage was more than twice that for people with ESI ($6,750 vs. $2,250).  
• Those with individual market plans also report higher rates of problems with their coverage (e.g. dollar or visit limits on covered services, or expensive medical bills that aren’t covered by their plan) and are more likely to avoid or delay needed care because of cost.