The Commonwealth Fund does a biennial health insurance survey that tracks how many Americans are uninsured and the effect rising health care costs are having on the public. What we learned today was that 52 million Americans are now uninsured, up from 48 million before the recession. In addition, of the people who are insured the survey reports that 49 million Americans pay 10% of their annual incomes on health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs — a considerable bite out of one’s family budget. The other fact that left me reeling was that 31% of people who have high-deductible health plans chose not to receive care because of the cost. In other words, they chose food and shelter over mammograms, prescription drugs and annual exams.
So basically, the U.S. still has millions of people who don’t have insurance, and those that do are too poor to use it. I know that Republicans don’t like what they refer to as Obamacare, but it sure looks like at least 100 million people could use either the pre-existing condition provision or the subsidies to help pay for health insurance.
This report is a depressing read. It shows how out of control prices have gotten for the American people, including both insurance and medical costs. I’d like to see a survey conducted that actually asks people how much they are willing to pay for monthly premiums to cover their risk, and how much they think certain type of procedures are worth.
