A new report by The Commonwealth Fund finds that an increasing number of U.S. families are experiencing high financial burdens from medical care expenses, as rapidly rising health care costs are passed on to families in the form of higher premiums, deductibles, copayments, and even reduced benefits.

The issue brief, "Chronic Burdens: The Persistently High Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses Faced by Many Americans with Chronic Conditions", reported that over a two-year period, 20 percent of nonelderly adults who had a chronic health condition spent more than 5 percent of their income on out-of-pocket expenses and health insurance premiums.

The report's author, Peter J. Cunningham, Ph.D., a senior fellow at the Center for Studying Health System Change, notes that many families able to absorb high out-of-pocket expenses resulting from a one-time event, may be unable to cope with high out-of-pocket expenses for a chronic illness that continues over time.

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