Direct Spending on Healthcare
A single person with a $50,000 income and individual market or exchange coverage spends $8,850 per year (18% of their income) on health. This includes $2,400 (5% of their income) in out-of-pocket health spending, $4,100 (8% of their income) in health insurance premiums, and approximately $2,350 (5% of their income) in state and federal taxes that fund health programs.
Additional Contributions by Employers
In this scenario, we estimate that the employer is contributing an additional $750 in Medicare payroll taxes, not shown in the chart above. When combined, this person’s spending on health care and the money spent by their employer on their behalf totals $9,600.
The Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF are partnering to monitor how well the U.S. healthcare system is performing in terms of quality and cost.
