LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Three in four Kentuckians are worried about affording health care, according to a new statewide poll that also found dissatisfaction with the current health-care system on both sides of the political aisle. More than 90% of surveyed Kentuckians said they support expanding health-insurance options so that everyone can afford quality coverage.

Terri Bates, a single mother of two in Frankfort, said she had to file for bankruptcy because of medical debt after needing emergency surgery and not being covered.

"It was very stressful," she said. "I had credit agencies calling me all the time, hospitals saying they needed a payment or they were going to take me to court and sue me, and it was nonstop."

Bates said she's working on building her credit again and is no longer in debt, but the experience has made her wary of going to the doctor. Some 30% of survey respondents said they are delaying a doctor's visit. Six in 10 described themselves as "anxious or very worried" about affording treatment for severe COVID-19 illness.

For years, said Richard Seckel, director of the Kentucky Equal Justice Center, legal-aid offices across the Commonwealth have seen families crushed by debt to the point of bankruptcy. He said he believes the pandemic is highlighting long-standing weaknesses in the health-care system.

"We've made great progress on expanding coverage for folks in Kentucky and getting people signed up, but it's startling the degree to which people still feel insecure about health care," he said. "It's clear that we can't really have a thriving economy until we make health care something you can count on."

Lexington resident Allison Crawford had abdominal pain for more than a year before she could schedule the diagnostic surgery she needed. Working three jobs, she said, she made too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford a high-quality insurance plan. Crawford delayed her procedure until she found a full-time job with benefits.

"I think people who don't want health insurance to be provided to everyone, whether or not you have a job -- health insurance not tied to a job -- I think those people just have never had an experience where it was life or death or facing a lower quality of life," she said.

So far, more than 233,000 Kentuckians have lost employer-sponsored health insurance after losing their job. More than a half-million state unemployment claims have been filed since the pandemic began.

The survey is available online at healthcarevaluehub.org.


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A new report finds thousands of low-income or uninsured people in Illinois face medical debt that is depleting their savings and, in some cases, affecting their health.

The report, from the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, described situations where patients racked up big bills because they didn't know that hospitals or community agencies could offer financial assistance. House Bill 2719 was filed this week to require all Illinois hospitals to screen uninsured patients and inform them of their options for paying medical bills.

Luvia Quinones, senior director of health policy at the coalition, said many low-income and working-class people are unnecessarily losing sleep - and cash.

"Many of these individuals are actually eligible for something, whether it be some type of health coverage program or for hospital financial assistance," she said, "and unfortunately, many of them are not made aware of either of these services or programs."

The Illinois Department of Health Care and Family Services reported in 2021 that more than 900,000 people in the state were uninsured. It said one-third of them qualify for coverage under Medicaid or through the Insurance Marketplace, while others are eligible for hospital financial programs or charity care.

Most Democrats in the General Assembly support the bill, but Republicans have not publicly staked out a position. The measure is pending before the Health Care Availability and Accessibility Committee. Quinones said the bill's goal is ultimately to prevent excessive medical debt.

"By hospitals screening these individuals, you could prevent them both ending up in medical debt," she said, "and it could also help the hospitals to be able to get reimbursed for some of the services."