Guest guest Posted November 3, 2003 Report Share Posted November 3, 2003 " luckypig " Mon, 3 Nov 2003 11:30:17 -0500 More Uninsured At Big Firms > More Uninsured At Big Firms > > WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2003 > > (CBS/AP) A third of the nation's workers without health insurance are > employed by large companies, a study says. > > Thirty-two percent of all uninsured workers in 2001 were employed by big > companies, up from 25 percent in 1987, according to the report released > Tuesday by The Commonwealth Fund. > > Researchers cited as factors soaring health care costs, declines in > manufacturing and union jobs and the changing structure of large > corporations those with more than 500 employees and the benefits they offer. > > " Policy-makers seeking solutions to the growing uninsured problem must look > beyond workers in small firms, or they risk leaving out a large group of > low-wage uninsured workers, " said Jeanne Lambrew, an author of the study > and an associate professor of health policy at George Washington University. > > The study also noted that seven out of 10 uninsured workers at large > companies were not offered health insurance, and 15 percent were > ineligible. Low-income workers were the most likely to be without coverage. > > The Census Bureau estimates that 44 million Americans were uninsured last > year. > > While researchers found a growing number of uninsured workers at large > firms, they said the opposite was true for small and medium-sized companies. > > The percentage of uninsured employees in small businesses those with fewer > than 100 workers dropped from 67 percent in 1987 to 57 percent in 2001. > Similarly, the number of uninsured workers at medium-sized companies fell > from 14 percent to 12 percent during the same period. > > Access to health care and employers' rising costs have been debated in > Congress and by the nine Democrats seeking to challenge President Bush next > year. The issue also is at the center of numerous labor disputes in > California and elsewhere. > > Striking grocery workers and public transit mechanics have caused > widespread inconvenience and economic losses in Southern California. > Thousands of Kroger Co. grocery workers also walked out in West Virginia, > Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri last week. > > Unions are fighting to retain top-of-the-line medical benefits while > employers want workers to pick up more of the cost. > > Other recent health care news has told a similar story of rising cost and > reduced coverage: > > Medicare premiums will rise next year by 13.5 percent to $66.60 a month for > about 40 million Americans in the program, the third-largest increase in > its history, the government said last week. > > Health insurance costs continued to escalate at a double-digit pace in > 2003, but a study by Hewitt Associates finds indications that rates may > begin leveling off as early as next year. For 2004, the Illinois consulting > firm is projecting a 12.6 percent average increase for employers, which is > lower than 2003's 14.7 percent rate. Still, that's about $1,000 more for > each worker. > > Health care premiums for families in employer-sponsored plans soared 13.9 > percent in 2003, the third year of double-digit growth and the biggest > spike since 1990, a recent study found. Annual family premiums increased to > $9,068 this spring, according to a survey of 2,808 companies by the Kaiser > Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust, each a > health research organization. > > An additional 2.4 million people fell into the ranks of the uninsured last > year, according to Census Bureau estimates that show a second consecutive > annual increase spurred by people losing coverage when they are laid off or > their job benefits are cut. > http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/21/health/main579209.shtml > NEW WEB MESSAGE BOARDS - JOIN HERE. Alternative Medicine Message Boards.Info http://alternative-medicine-message-boards.info Exclusive Video Premiere - Britney Spears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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