Consumer financial risk is the extent to which individual and/or household spending on health care compromises the ability to pay for other basic necessities. Consumers’ health care expenses generally include out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles and coinsurance; billing for charges above the allowed amount; direct payments for services among uninsured individuals; and payment for services not covered under an individual’s insurance plan. Consumer expenses also include insurance premiums or employee contributions to premium costs. Economists argue that employer contributions to coverage represent a cost to the employee because the employer lowers wages to account for the contribution. In our discussion, we do not consider these costs.