This metric highlights the extent to which households with already precarious financial standings, measured as living below 60% of the median consumption poverty line, are further destabilized by health care costs. Specifically, it focuses on those whose non-health-related expenditures are insufficient to secure basic needs. The out-of-pocket health expenses encompass a broad spectrum of health services—ranging from preventive care to specialized treatments—often resulting in financial strain. This indicator serves as a critical lens through which to examine the intersection of health care access and economic vulnerability, illuminating the
burden on disadvantaged populations who are forced to allocate limited resources toward unavoidable medical expenditures, thereby exacerbating their poverty situation.
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