Minnesotans spending more on health care

by Lorna Benson, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — A new report say nearly a quarter of Minnesotans under the age of 65 are in families that will spend more than 10% of their pre-tax income on health care costs in 2008.

The health care consumer organization that compiled the data says that accounts for nearly 1.1 million people.

Health Policy Analyst Kim Bailey with Families USA says the report also looked at the number of people in families spending more than 25% of their income on health care.

"We found that in 2008, 276,000 Minnesotans will be in families that are spending more of their income on health care costs. Nearly 9 out of 10 of these people have insurance," says Bailey.

Bailey says compared to other states, Minnesota's out-of-pocket health care spending is slightly higher than average.

Families USA gathered the data for their report from U.S. Government sources.