LevonP
10-07-2008, 01:36 AM
Most Americans who have health coverage are enrolled in private health plans. The majority get this coverage through their employer, but some have to buy coverage on their own in the individual market.
Unfortunately, there are serious (and growing) problems with private insurance. Prices are spiraling upwards, leading employers to raise the share paid by workers, cut back on benefits, or drop coverage altogether. Those who don't have coverage through their jobs often find that buying insurance in the individual market is expensive, and many have trouble finding anyone willing to sell them a policy at all. As people lose coverage at work and find that they cannot afford to buy a policy on their own, more and more Americans become uninsured.
This section of our Web site keeps you up-to-date on what's happening in the private health insurance arena. "The Facts" helps you follow the latest trends in the private market, "Bad Ideas" shows you why some proposals move us in the wrong direction, and "Good Ideas" highlights positive approaches.
The Latest
From Families USA:
Failing Grades:
http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/illinois-failing-grades.pdf
Illinois Fails to Protect Consumers in the Individual Health Insurance Market focuses the broader discussion of inadequate consumer protections for the individual market on Illinois, examining how the state falls short in protecting consumers, leaving them vulnerable to insurance company abuse. The report also includes recommendations for reforms needed in the private market. (September 2008)
An Unequal Burden:
http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/unequal-burden.pdf
The True Cost of High-Deductible Health Plans for Communities of Color discusses the full costs associated with high-deductible health plans and why these expenses are disproportionately unaffordable for racial and ethnic minorities. It also examines several myths about health savings accounts (HSAs), which are often coupled with such health plans. (September 2008)
Empty Promise:
http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/play-fair-empty-promise-1.pdf
Searching for Health Insurance in an Unfair Market discusses how the individual health insurance market differs from the employer market and examines what happens to consumers who seek coverage in the individual market. Problems in the individual market include policies that don't provide quality coverage; policies that are very expensive or that cost more than advertised; and the fact that many applicants cannot obtain a policy at any price. (August 2008)
From the Access Project:
http://www.accessproject.org/adobe/issue_brief_no_1.pdf
2007 Health Insurance Survey of Farm and Ranch Operators examines health care costs and their consequences for farm and ranch families in the Great Plains states. The majority of respondents had health insurance, yet one in four reported that their health care expenses contributed to financial problems. In addition, farmers and ranchers who purchased insurance in the non-group market were at greater risk of financial hardship than those who obtained insurance through government-sponsored programs or through off-farm or off-ranch employment. (September 2008)
From the Center for Studying Health System Change:
http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/1017/
Trade-Offs Getting Tougher: Problems Paying Medical Bills Increase for U.S. Families, 2003-2007 estimates that 14 million more people had problems paying medical bills in 2007 compared to 2003. Among the non-elderly insured and uninsured, 2.2 million were in families that filed for bankruptcy as a result of medical debt, while a much larger number reported other financial consequences, such as difficulties paying for necessities or having to borrow money. (September 2008)
From the Commonwealth Fund:
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Biles_Medicareextra_1169_ib.pdf?section=4039
The Continuing Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans in 2008 considers the policies of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) that have spurred greater enrollment in private plans and that have substantially increased Medicare costs. Private health plans serving Medicare beneficiaries will be paid an average of 12.4 percent more per enrollee in 2008 compared to what the same enrollee would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program. (September 2008)
Seeing Red:
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Doty_seeingred_1164_ib.pdf?section=4039
The Growing Burden of Medical Bills and Debt Faced by U.S. Families reports that the proportion of working-age Americans who struggled to pay medical bills and accumulated medical debt climbed from 34 percent to 41 percent between 2005 and 2007. Families with low or moderate incomes were particularly hard hit, as were the uninsured and adults who had gaps in health coverage. Those experiencing financial hardship due to medical debt reported that they used up all their savings, incurred large credit card debt, or were unable to pay for basic necessities. (August 2008)
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute:
http://ehbs.kff.org/pdf/7790.pdf
Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Analysis of the March 2008 Current Population Survey examines the factors that affect whether an individual has health insurance and the sources of that coverage. According to the report, the percentage of U.S. residents younger than age 65 who had health coverage through their employer remained at 62.2 percent between 2006 and 2007, but this year’s rise in unemployment and food and gasoline prices suggest a future decline in the number of workers who have or are able to afford employer-based health insurance. (September 2008)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust:
http://ehbs.kff.org/pdf/7790.pdf
Employer Health Benefits: 2008 Annual Survey provides a detailed look at trends in employer-based health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, and cost-sharing. The survey also documents the prevalence of high-deductible health plans and includes new questions on the wellness programs and retiree health benefits that are offered by employers. (September 2008)
From the National Women’s Law Center:
http://action.nwlc.org/site/DocServer/NowhereToTurn.pdf?docID=601
Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women looks at the experiences of women seeking coverage in the individual insurance market between July and September, 2008. The report finds that many women face obstacles obtaining comprehensive, affordable health coverage. These challenges include being charged higher premiums than men, a practice known as “gender rating,” and being unable to find affordable maternity coverage. (September 2008)
Unfortunately, there are serious (and growing) problems with private insurance. Prices are spiraling upwards, leading employers to raise the share paid by workers, cut back on benefits, or drop coverage altogether. Those who don't have coverage through their jobs often find that buying insurance in the individual market is expensive, and many have trouble finding anyone willing to sell them a policy at all. As people lose coverage at work and find that they cannot afford to buy a policy on their own, more and more Americans become uninsured.
This section of our Web site keeps you up-to-date on what's happening in the private health insurance arena. "The Facts" helps you follow the latest trends in the private market, "Bad Ideas" shows you why some proposals move us in the wrong direction, and "Good Ideas" highlights positive approaches.
The Latest
From Families USA:
Failing Grades:
http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/illinois-failing-grades.pdf
Illinois Fails to Protect Consumers in the Individual Health Insurance Market focuses the broader discussion of inadequate consumer protections for the individual market on Illinois, examining how the state falls short in protecting consumers, leaving them vulnerable to insurance company abuse. The report also includes recommendations for reforms needed in the private market. (September 2008)
An Unequal Burden:
http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/unequal-burden.pdf
The True Cost of High-Deductible Health Plans for Communities of Color discusses the full costs associated with high-deductible health plans and why these expenses are disproportionately unaffordable for racial and ethnic minorities. It also examines several myths about health savings accounts (HSAs), which are often coupled with such health plans. (September 2008)
Empty Promise:
http://www.familiesusa.org/assets/pdfs/play-fair-empty-promise-1.pdf
Searching for Health Insurance in an Unfair Market discusses how the individual health insurance market differs from the employer market and examines what happens to consumers who seek coverage in the individual market. Problems in the individual market include policies that don't provide quality coverage; policies that are very expensive or that cost more than advertised; and the fact that many applicants cannot obtain a policy at any price. (August 2008)
From the Access Project:
http://www.accessproject.org/adobe/issue_brief_no_1.pdf
2007 Health Insurance Survey of Farm and Ranch Operators examines health care costs and their consequences for farm and ranch families in the Great Plains states. The majority of respondents had health insurance, yet one in four reported that their health care expenses contributed to financial problems. In addition, farmers and ranchers who purchased insurance in the non-group market were at greater risk of financial hardship than those who obtained insurance through government-sponsored programs or through off-farm or off-ranch employment. (September 2008)
From the Center for Studying Health System Change:
http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/1017/
Trade-Offs Getting Tougher: Problems Paying Medical Bills Increase for U.S. Families, 2003-2007 estimates that 14 million more people had problems paying medical bills in 2007 compared to 2003. Among the non-elderly insured and uninsured, 2.2 million were in families that filed for bankruptcy as a result of medical debt, while a much larger number reported other financial consequences, such as difficulties paying for necessities or having to borrow money. (September 2008)
From the Commonwealth Fund:
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Biles_Medicareextra_1169_ib.pdf?section=4039
The Continuing Cost of Privatization: Extra Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans in 2008 considers the policies of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) that have spurred greater enrollment in private plans and that have substantially increased Medicare costs. Private health plans serving Medicare beneficiaries will be paid an average of 12.4 percent more per enrollee in 2008 compared to what the same enrollee would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program. (September 2008)
Seeing Red:
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/Doty_seeingred_1164_ib.pdf?section=4039
The Growing Burden of Medical Bills and Debt Faced by U.S. Families reports that the proportion of working-age Americans who struggled to pay medical bills and accumulated medical debt climbed from 34 percent to 41 percent between 2005 and 2007. Families with low or moderate incomes were particularly hard hit, as were the uninsured and adults who had gaps in health coverage. Those experiencing financial hardship due to medical debt reported that they used up all their savings, incurred large credit card debt, or were unable to pay for basic necessities. (August 2008)
From the Employee Benefit Research Institute:
http://ehbs.kff.org/pdf/7790.pdf
Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Analysis of the March 2008 Current Population Survey examines the factors that affect whether an individual has health insurance and the sources of that coverage. According to the report, the percentage of U.S. residents younger than age 65 who had health coverage through their employer remained at 62.2 percent between 2006 and 2007, but this year’s rise in unemployment and food and gasoline prices suggest a future decline in the number of workers who have or are able to afford employer-based health insurance. (September 2008)
From the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust:
http://ehbs.kff.org/pdf/7790.pdf
Employer Health Benefits: 2008 Annual Survey provides a detailed look at trends in employer-based health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, and cost-sharing. The survey also documents the prevalence of high-deductible health plans and includes new questions on the wellness programs and retiree health benefits that are offered by employers. (September 2008)
From the National Women’s Law Center:
http://action.nwlc.org/site/DocServer/NowhereToTurn.pdf?docID=601
Nowhere to Turn: How the Individual Health Insurance Market Fails Women looks at the experiences of women seeking coverage in the individual insurance market between July and September, 2008. The report finds that many women face obstacles obtaining comprehensive, affordable health coverage. These challenges include being charged higher premiums than men, a practice known as “gender rating,” and being unable to find affordable maternity coverage. (September 2008)