U.S. report: 40 million can't afford health care

[Liebling:-)))]

U.S. report: 40 million can't afford health care

Deaths from cancer and heart disease drop, while car fatalities stay same

WASHINGTON - More than 40 million people in the United States say they cannot afford adequate heath care and go without drugs, eyeglasses or dental treatment, according to a federal report released on Monday.

The latest look at the state of U.S. health care also shows that while death rates from cancer and heart disease have dropped in recent years, just as many Americans are dying in car crashes.

"There has been important progress made in many areas of health such as increased life expectancy and decreases in deaths from leading killers such as heart disease and cancer," Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement.

"But this report shows that access to health care is still an issue where we need improvement."

The report, available on the Internet at N C H S Home, has a special section on access to health care.

Health care has jumped to the forefront of the 2008 campaign for the White House with virtually every presidential candidate offering some plan to provide more Americans with health insurance.

"In 2005, more than 40 million adults did not receive 'needed services' because they could not afford them," the report said.

"Nearly 15 million adults did not obtain eyeglasses, 25 million did not get dental care, 19 million did not get needed prescribed medicine, and 15 million did not get needed medical care due to cost."

The report found about one third of all children living below the poverty level had not visited a dentist in 2005, compared with fewer than one-fifth of children from wealthier families.

"The United States spends more on health per capita than any other country, and health spending continues to increase," the report said.

"In 2005, national health care expenditures in the United States totaled $2 trillion, a 7 percent increase from 2004. Hospital spending, which accounts for 31 percent of national health expenditures, increased by 8 percent in 2005."

Private insurance plans paid for 36 percent of total personal health care expenditures in 2005, while the federal government paid 34 percent, state and local governments paid 11 percent, and patients paid for 15 percent out of pocket.

Prescription drugs accounted for 10 percent of national health expenditure in 2005.

There was some good news: life expectancy was up to 77.8 years for a baby born in 2004 — three years more than in 1990. "Mortality from heart disease, stroke, and cancer has continued to decline in recent years," the report said.

But the death rate for motor vehicle-related injuries has remained stable since the early 1990s, with 15 deaths per 100,000 people per year, down from 18.5 per 100,000 in 1990.

Report: 40 million can't afford health care - Health care - MSNBC.com

 

[Liebling:-)))]

When staying alive means going bankrupt

Health insurance didn’t keep cancer-stricken California woman solvent
Part 1: When staying alive means going bankrupt - Gut Check - MSNBC.com

 

[Miss-Delectable]

That doesn't surprise me in the least. Always a catch 22 situation when it comes to health in the US.

 

[PowerON]

while 260 million people have health coverage. ta-da! Because they work and earn benefit!

 

[jazzy]

while 260 million people have health coverage. ta-da! Because they work and earn benefit!

Not every worker have health coverage. I worked for two and half year without it now I become permantely with my job and I finally got it. My son works 3 years now with no health coverage. So tell me it is successful for America to have health benefits for workers? not at all.

 

[PowerON]

Not every worker have health coverage. I worked for two and half year without it now I become permantely with my job and I finally got it. My son works 3 years now with no health coverage. So tell me it is successful for America to have health benefits for workers? not at all.

acknowledge as normally for part-time job, they don't get benefit at all.

is that part-time your kid have? Or paid by cash? I have know some certain jobs don't pay health. Like hired to do the dirty job and don't get any benefit. Assassin job don't get benefit. That's not nice, huh? lol

 

[jazzy]

acknowledge as normally for part-time job, they don't get benefit at all.

is that part-time your kid have?

No he works full time job. His boss is self employer. Understanding not much jobs offer in this area right now. Other thing many people with small business can not afford health benefits and I know many insurance from my own expeirnce turned us down because of my preexist health problems. It needs to be fix somehow. I remember we bought health insurance then one month slowest month then we can not afford to pay insurance even thou they do not offer grace period, they cancel on us. We spend alot $$$$$$ to put down then two months later no money come in then we got screwed by insurance. I want every American to have health insurance no matter who or what we do.

 

[Reba]

... Other thing many people with small business cannot afford health benefits....

Very true.

 

[Kaitin]

while 260 million people have health coverage. ta-da! Because they work and earn benefit!

I agree with Jazzy - many work without health care benefit.

From Economic Policy Institute, Nov 7, 2007: The erosion of employment-based insurance

Employment-based coverage is still the most prominent form of health insurance in the United States at 59.7% of all Americans; however, the rate of this coverage has fallen in every year since 2000. In 2000, 64.2% of Americans had employer-provided health insurance. By 2006, this percent had fallen 4.5 percentage points. Nearly 2.3 million fewer Americans had employment-based insurance in 2006 than in 2000. This decline does not take into account population growth. As many as 13 million more people would have had employer-provided health insurance in 2006 if the coverage rate had remained at the 2000 level.

Because of these large declines in employer-provided health insurance, workers and their families have been falling into the ranks of the uninsured at alarming rates. There were almost 5 million more uninsured workers in 2006 than in 2000. While uninsured workers are disproportionately young, non-white, less educated, and low wage, workers across the socio-economic spectrum have experienced losses in coverage. Even the most highly educated and highest wage workers had lower rates of insurance coverage in 2006 than in 2000. -

Declines in overall employer-provided coverage
About 3.9 million fewer people under the age of 65—including workers, their spouses, and their children—had employer-provided health insurance in 2006 than in 2000. The percent with employer-provided health insurance fell from 68.3% in 2000 to 62.9% in 2006, a decline of 5.4 percentage points -

Workers earning lower hourly wages are significantly less likely to have employer-provided health coverage than those earning higher wages; however, even those in the highest wage quintile were subjected to losses in coverage. Full-time workers are more likely to have employer-provided health insurance than part-time workers (73.9% vs. 55.3%). At the same time, over one-fourth of full-time workers, or about 32 million full-time workers, are not receiving employer-provided health insurance. These numbers have increase consistently over the last six years, and are up 5.5 million since 2000.

The number of uninsured children rose 611,000 from 2005 to 2006, to a total of over 8.6 million uninsured children. The percent of uninsured children rose from 10.9% to 11.7%, a statistically significant increase. This is the second year in a row that the number and rate of uninsured children has grown. This unfortunate trend was caused by the confluence of two events. First, there has been a significant drop in the number of children covered by employer-provided health insurance. In the last two years, over 1 million fewer children had employer-provided health insurance. Second, there was a significant reversal in trend in the number of children insured by Medicaid or SCHIP in 2005 and public coverage of children has just returned to the level it was two years ago. In previous years, the strength of government programs aimed at children kept many from falling into the ranks of the uninsured, keeping them better insulated from the losses in employer-provided coverage. The safety net does not appear to be catching as many children as in the past.

 

[PowerON]

No he works full time job. His boss is self employer. Understanding not much jobs offer in this area right now. Other thing many people with small business can not afford health benefits and I know many insurance from my own expeirnce turned us down because of my preexist health problems. It needs to be fix somehow. I remember we bought health insurance then one month slowest month then we can not afford to pay insurance even thou they do not offer grace period, they cancel on us. We spend alot $$$$$$ to put down then two months later no money come in then we got screwed by insurance. I want every American to have health insurance no matter who or what we do.

self employer, yes, that make sense. That's why. oh well.

 

[Kaitin]

self employer, yes, that make sense. That's why. oh well.

Millions who are not self-employed have no health insurance also.

From Kaiser Commission on Uninsured and the Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage: Sponsorship, Eligibility, and Participation Patterns in 2001

Of the 111 million adult workers who were not self-employed, 15.1 million or about 13.6 percent of workers were uninsured.

So not just unemployed, part-time, or self-employed.

 

[shel90]

acknowledge as normally for part-time job, they don't get benefit at all.

is that part-time your kid have? Or paid by cash? I have know some certain jobs don't pay health. Like hired to do the dirty job and don't get any benefit. Assassin job don't get benefit. That's not nice, huh? lol

My first two years at my teaching job was a contractual postion meaning I recieved no health benefits even though I worked 40 hours a week. They offered me to buy health insurance package but it was $400 a month and I was a single mom at the time with a job that didnt pay me whenever school was closed so there was no way I could afford that! Finally, a permanment postion opened up and it was offered to me.

So, yes there are teachers working for the state who dont get health benefits. That is bad.

 

[Liebling:-)))]

Interesting thread... Thank you for sharing your posts here.

My first two years at my teaching job was a contractual postion meaning I recieved no health benefits even though I worked 40 hours a week. They offered me to buy health insurance package but it was $400 a month and I was a single mom at the time with a job that didnt pay me whenever school was closed so there was no way I could afford that! Finally, a permanment postion opened up and it was offered to me.

So, yes there are teachers working for the state who dont get health benefits. That is bad.

$400 per month for insurance coverage offer ? It's too much.

See the link, I provided about an american lady who paid $533 per month which is not everything inculding insurance coverage.

This remind me of movie "John Q" because his insurance coverage is not enough to save his son's life.

 

[ideafspy]

It sound heartless to say "oh well, that make sense"

1. I used to work the company and would give me benefit after I work for 120 days and some 6 months to get insurance.

2. Some price isn't reasonable due small number decide not to enroll insurance or what kind of job such as warehouse.

3. People got declined because base on pre-existing policy even if you are deaf and they wouldn't cover any pre-existing due lack of record on social security even my record say I am hearing. It has happen to me and wind up debt for 4,000 dollars due insurance think that I took the cough pill effect my profound which its dumb thing I ever heard.

4. Insurance is look for earn profit instead loss profit

5. I know one last job I work and it costs me 600 dollars for couple or 900 dollars for family insured of HMO plan. I think that insane!

6. Some people didn't realize about pre-existing; for example, the person decide work for another company which its small. The company and insurance agreed 3, 6, or 12 months and can be 2 years for existing health plan. The only way if person used health insurance from previous or last job that under cover global CORDA (not sure spell) within 90 to 120 days. You decide to use their company's insurance and the insurance can write off the pre-existing due previous last job that do provide full coverage without pre-existing.

**Advise**
Always keep record of what health insurance send you the specific question that need answer. Please send back to insurance with track id with green card and proof they got it instead insurance try cancel and say, "there no record that we have got your paper form that we request for more information due..." then you can claim to report on BBB relate with insurance.

Always keep letter from insurance because they can change the print such as, they didn't say its approve. No sending letter for error letter or anything.

My thinking, government need to do something! Its such as help us a little bit such as tax break to write off for who couldn't AFFORD from that job's benefit that cost outrage!

Lot of people didn't know that you can write off your tax that you paid the insurance monthly on health plan. Not the auto-insurance or house-insurance unless it related with business. Even it can write off the tax for pill, doctor, or any health reason cost more than 600 dollars a year.

 

[PowerON]

Here problem that most youth are seek for job to make money, never think of healthy. Until they realize they're suppose to check if company's benefit offer include health coverage during I was out of college. I was one of them until my parents advice me to find job with health since they won't coverage for me anymore. So, that lead me find last three jobs in row with great benefit which I'm safe.

Don't whine, because someone find wrong jobs, always think of money.

 

[GalaxyAngel]

Heartless America gov't!!!! IMO!!
Therefore no helping American citizen needs a help for coverage Health cost their family love ones. Pretty bad!!!

Espically their work company aren't willing help portion coverage co-workers for funds health cost but company is greedy! Get your own pull up your wallet or purse and pay your own health insurance coverage. That's extreme stupid!

That why American company is selfish and greedy otherwise prefer your own problem paying the hospital fee.

Why can't the company should have investment funds for coverage the health cost for co-workers? Or garnish their pay stub little payments monthly for health coverage cost under insurance company somehow.. ?

Isn't same as Canada system?


Pretty find this quite sad!

 

[Dixie]

Most small buisnesses (those with fewer than 20 or 25 employees) are not required offer insurance plans, but now the State of Arkansas has made it a requirement that buisnesses with more than 5 employees must offer insurance to their employees. It is more expensive for small buisnesses in which the costs are eventually passed on to the customer.

But I think it should be a REQUIREMENT that all buisnesses big or small should offer group insurance plans for their employees within 90 days of employment - but it is up to the employee if they want to accept it or not. Also the cost cannot be more than 10% of the employees weekly net income and it should be deducted from their pay every pay period.

This way everyone has insurance but no one is forced to purchase it if they feel they dont need or if they are already covered under a spouse's insurance plan. But they get dropped then they should be allowed to enroll into the company plan at their place of employment during the month of June and during the month of December known as 'open enrollment months'.

For those who have been fired or laid off the gov't should offer a temporary form of insurance where they pay for all routine expenses, but only for a limited time to encourage the person to go ahead and find work.

And those not yet covered under company insurance, the gov't should pay a certain percentage of all medical costs such as 75/25.

 

[deafdyke]

i know....its rediclous. and yet, insurance company ceos are getting big bucks?!?! i really think that we need a hybrid system of health care, where the government pays for basic health care, but you can also go private if you want.
idont even get me started on this topic!

 

[Banjo]

i know....its rediclous. and yet, insurance company ceos are getting big bucks?!?!

Not just that, they are also posting record-breaking profits. I'm quite proud of what they've achieved... not.

 

[Foxrac]

I'm one of them that can't afford to obtain health insurance because insurance at wal-mart is so expensive, when compared to other retailers.

Well, I'm still own medicaid right now.