The Average American Spends 15 Times More on Health Care Than Trump Paid in Federal Income Taxes in 2017

The average person spent $11,172 on health care in 2018, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—15 times the amount Trump paid in federal income taxes a year earlier. 

President Donald Trump was discharged from Walter Reed Medical Center Monday, after receiving top-notch, taxpayer-funded medical care for COVID-19. While Trump got the best medical treatment the country has to offer, his VIP hospitalization also  underscored the stark fact that he has barely paid into the system that covers the cost of his health care. That’s because Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017.

To put that into perspective, the average person spent $11,172 on health care in 2018, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services—15 times the amount Trump paid in federal income taxes a year earlier. 

With that in mind, we decided to take a look at five states and determine what exactly $750 will get you in terms of health care. We considered everything from insurance deductibles (the amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurance company starts covering services) to annual prescription drug costs.

Cost of Health Care in Texas

In Texas, $750 would get you…

• About one-third of the average individual deductible for an employer-sponsored plan ($2,155), or about one-fourth of the average individual deductible for an ACA marketplace plan ($2,805).
  
• About half of an employee’s average annual premium for an employer-sponsored plan ($1,512) and about one-fifth of the average annual premium for the lowest-cost plan on the ACA marketplace ($3,540).
  
• Less than two-thirds of the average annual cost of prescription drugs ($1,196).

Cost of Health Care in Georgia

In Georgia, $750 would get you…

• About one-third of both the average annual individual deductible for an employer-sponsored plan ($2,155) and an ACA marketplace plan ($2,254).
  
• About half of an employee’s average annual premium for an employer-sponsored plan ($1,466) and nearly one-fifth of the average annual premium for the lowest-tier plan on the ACA marketplace ($4.164).
  
• Less than two-thirds of the average annual cost of prescription drugs ($1,188).

Cost of Health Care in Florida

In Florida, $750 would get you…

• Less than 40% of the average annual individual deductible for an employer-sponsored plan ($1,993) and less than one-third of the average annual individual deductible for an ACA marketplace plan ($2,430).
  
• Less than half of an employee’s average annual premium for an employer-sponsored plan ($1,543) and nearly one-fifth of the average annual premium for the lowest-tier plan on the ACA marketplace ($4,056).
  
• Less than two-thirds of the average annual cost of prescription drugs ($1,156).

Cost of Health Care in Iowa

In Iowa, $750 would get you…

• About one-third of the average annual individual deductible for an employer-sponsored plan ($2,202) and an ACA marketplace plan ($2,072).
  
• Less than half of an employee’s average annual premium for an employer-sponsored plan ($1,542) and less than one-fifth of the average annual premium for the lowest-tier plan on the ACA marketplace ($4,776).
  
• Less than 80% of the average annual cost of in-patient services ($948) and only 43% of the average annual cost of out-patient services ($1,744).
  
• Just over two-thirds the average annual cost of prescription drugs ($1,029).

Cost of Health Care in Ohio

In Ohio, $750 would get you…

• A little over one-third of the average annual individual deductible for an employer-sponsored plan ($2,101) and less than one-fifth of the average annual individual deductible for an ACA marketplace plan ($4,619).
  
• Just over half of an employee’s average annual premium for an employer-sponsored plan ($1,473) and just over one-fifth the average annual premium for the lowest-tier plan on the ACA marketplace ($3,336).
  
• Less than two-thirds of the average annual cost of prescription drugs ($1,208).