Where does out-of-pocket health care spending fall vis a vis other household costs?
BLANK: Housing, which includes energy, is the biggest expense: 39 percent for people at the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution; 31 percent for people at the top of the distribution. Transportation is next, at 14 percent for the bottom 20 percent, and 17 percent for the top 20 percent. The Consumer Expenditure Survey does not break out child care costs. Food comes in third. What makes health care different vis-à-vis housing or transportation? Should those costs be calculated in? BLANK: I think of health care costs as similar to work expenses – in order to work, you need to pay transportation and childcare expenses as well as keep yourself healthy. I believe that expenditures on these items should be subtracted off from income when measuring poverty. I would want the income definition to include the resources I have available to spend on food, shelter and clothing after I’ve done all the things I am expected to do to keep myself reasonably healthy and get myself to work. This w
