Health Coverage Continuing to Erode

by   |  October 18, 2006

What’s the difference between Americans who have health insurance and the 46.6 million who don’t? The former are out of several hundred dollars in premiums and the latter can’t afford to pay them. Health insurance continues to erode for working families as the number of uninsured people grew for the fifth year in a row. Meanwhile, premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage rose by an average 7.7 percent in 2006, an increase of more than twice as much as workers’ wages (3.8 percent) and overall inflation (3.5 percent), according to the 2006 Employer Health Benefits Survey. Many among the uninsured postpone urgent medical care due to economic constraints, increasing mortality and costing billions in lost productivity. Our health care system is spiraling into crisis and only comprehensive reform will prevent disaster. Making sure that every American has access to affordable health coverage is not just good business; it is the right thing to do.