Cost-Sharing Subsidies Crucial to Low-Income Consumers

A new Commonwealth Fund–supported analysis finds that cost-sharing for consumers enrolled in marketplace health plans held steady in 2015 compared with 2014. For people without cost-sharing subsidies, however, expenses remained higher on average than those in employer plans. The researchers, led by Jon Gabel of the University of Chicago’s NORC, say the high costs associated with lower-tier marketplace plans underscore the importance of the cost-sharing subsidies in ensuring that consumers can afford the care they need.