Many of Us are Only One Step From Being Uninsured
Close to 10% of the premium paid by Oregonians who receive their coverage through their employer goes to pay for the health care needs of the uninsured. When those without a way to pay for their health care get sick enough, they go to the emergency room where federal laws require that they be seen and treated. So we end up paying for strokes in the hospital rather than treating hypertension in the community. And the costs are simply shifted to those with insurance through increases in their premiums.
The uninsured don’t fit a media stereotype. They come from every community, every neighborhood and every income level. A person may have coverage today and none at all in a few months due to a job loss, a drop or reduction in work-based health coverage, change in family status, or death of the primary insurance holder. What would happen to you if you lost access to affordable health care for you and your family? The cost of a medical bill is the second leading cause of personal bankruptcy; second only to job loss.
Of those without insurance:
- 60% reported problems paying medical bills.
- 27% reported struggling to pay expenses such as food, rent or heat.
- Almost half (44%) said that they were forced to use most or all of their savings to pay medical bills.
- 20% had run up large credit card debts or taken out a home equity loan to pay medical expenses.
- People without insurance use the most expensive source of care when they need it - the emergency room - which adds unnecessary costs to the health system.
- The cost of care for the uninsured is shifted to people with insurance, in the form of higher premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
- Employers, faced with those higher premium costs, are facing the difficult decision of either passing on the costs to employees, eliminating coverage for dependents, or eliminating work-based coverage altogether.
- The average person with insurance pays about $100 per month to cover the cost of care for the uninsured.
The current structure of the US health care system results in higher taxes, lower wages, increased health care costs and, often the inability to get timely access to needed care. We have "universal access" but only through the emergency room, which is both expensive and inefficient. We Can Do Better. We can create a rational system that is fair, affordable and accessible. Join us in designing health care for the 21st Century.
