Low-Income Family Budgets: Implications for Healthcare

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This report, based on in-depth family interviews in three cities across the country conducted in 2003, explores the experiences of families trying to make ends meet on limited budgets. By discussing these families’ work, spending patterns, financial challenges, priorities and tradeoffs and health care and coverage, this report intends to provide a deeper understanding of families’ financial pressures and choices and information to assess the impact of current and proposed policies. Nationally, low income families spend 7 out of 10 dollars on basic living expenses, including housing, transportation, and food. The remainder of their income is split among many categories—with health care spending amounting to 7 percent of income.

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