Study: More Minnesotans burdened by high health care cost

A new study says Minnesota has a higher percentage of residents with a high health care cost burden than the national average.

The report from the non-partisan Robert Wood Johnson foundation says 21 percent of Minnesotans are underinsured compared to the national average of 18 percent. The foundation defines under-insured as people spending more than 10 percent of their annual income on health care premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

A higher portion of Minnesotans are enrolled in high-deductible health plans and that contributes to the underinsured levels, said Lynn Blewett, University of Minnesota health care economist.

"The large employers and some of the small employers are moving to high-deductible products that tend to be a little less expensive," Blewett said. "But it tends to shift more of the cost on to the employee or the individual who has one of those plans."

Minnesota tends to be more innovative in health care and health insurance products than other parts of the U.S. and the high deductible plans are a newer kind of health plan being offered now. Blewett said.