New health care coalition launching July 8th
Health Care for America
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On July 8, the new Health Care for America Now (HCAN) http://ga3.org/ct/HpNiw6K1b4b1/ coalition will be launched by the Campaign for America’s Future and 100 other national and local organizations. The coalition’s mission is to establish a public mandate for quality, affordable health care for all. We can be sure that health care will play a central role in the 2008 election because Americans are wholly dissatisfied with the current system, and there is a dramatic difference between the way progressives and conservatives would address the problem.
The HCAN coalition is asking individuals and candidates for office at all levels a big question: “Which side are you on†when it comes to America’s health care future? Do you support our progressive principles: affordable coverage for all, with all but very small companies expected to cover their employees or pay into a fund, and a guarantee of real choices—the right to keep the coverage you have now if you like it, or the choice of a public, Medicare-style insurance plan, or one of an array of regulated private plans. [Click here for more about HCAN http://ga3.org/ct/G1Niw6K1b4bq/ ] Here are the facts:
* Health care premiums are skyrocketing. >From 2000 to 2007, the cost of employer-sponsored insurance increased from $6,438 to $12,106 for family coverage. Adjusted for inflation, that’s a 56 percent increase to cover a family of four. Moreover, because employers are passing more costs onto their workers, the share paid by employees for their health insurance rose 68 percent.
* Insurance deductibles and co-pays have also increased. Between 2001 and 2005, the average deductible for a conventional fee-for-service health plan increased from $598 to $1,192. During the same period, patients were forced to pay larger co-pays for visits to a doctor and for prescription drugs.
* More and more Americans are uninsured. The number of uninsured in America has increased from 38 million in 2000, to 47 million today, a figure that includes 9 million children. Much of this increase comes from middle income families losing insurance coverage. For adults with incomes above 200 percent of the federal poverty level (about $42,000 per year for a family), the underinsured rate nearly tripled since 2003.
* An additional 25 million Americans are underinsured. The number of people who have insurance that does not adequately protect them from high medical expenses has risen dramatically. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of underinsured adults increased by 60 percent.
* Insurance companies continue to reap record profits. In 2007, the top five health insurance companies reported a combined profit of $10 billion. They accomplished this by cherry-picking healthy patients and denying needed care to unhealthy patients.
Progressive solutions:
Guarantee quality affordable health care for all, with premiums and out-of-pocket costs based on a family’s ability to pay. Under a progressive health care system, Americans are given a choice. If you currently have insurance you like, you can keep it. If you prefer, you can choose from the kind of regulated private plans now available to Congress, or opt into a new public insurance plan. A progressive health care system will save up to $120 billion as we emphasize preventative care, move toward electronic medical records, and decrease the number of costly emergency room visits.
For more on the health care issue, including key facts, talking points, polling, the progressive solution, and more, click here to visit the Making Sense 2008 website.
About This Email
----------------
This is the ninth of CAF's Making Sense 2008 emails. We're sending brief talking points to our progressive allies throughout 2008 regarding kitchen table economic issues. Please feel free to share these with your colleagues. They can subscribe to our Making Sense 2008 email list here: http://ga3.org/caf/making_sense_2008_email_signup.html
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Campaign for America's Future.
------------------------------------------
On July 8, the new Health Care for America Now (HCAN) http://ga3.org/ct/HpNiw6K1b4b1/ coalition will be launched by the Campaign for America’s Future and 100 other national and local organizations. The coalition’s mission is to establish a public mandate for quality, affordable health care for all. We can be sure that health care will play a central role in the 2008 election because Americans are wholly dissatisfied with the current system, and there is a dramatic difference between the way progressives and conservatives would address the problem.
The HCAN coalition is asking individuals and candidates for office at all levels a big question: “Which side are you on†when it comes to America’s health care future? Do you support our progressive principles: affordable coverage for all, with all but very small companies expected to cover their employees or pay into a fund, and a guarantee of real choices—the right to keep the coverage you have now if you like it, or the choice of a public, Medicare-style insurance plan, or one of an array of regulated private plans. [Click here for more about HCAN http://ga3.org/ct/G1Niw6K1b4bq/ ] Here are the facts:
* Health care premiums are skyrocketing. >From 2000 to 2007, the cost of employer-sponsored insurance increased from $6,438 to $12,106 for family coverage. Adjusted for inflation, that’s a 56 percent increase to cover a family of four. Moreover, because employers are passing more costs onto their workers, the share paid by employees for their health insurance rose 68 percent.
* Insurance deductibles and co-pays have also increased. Between 2001 and 2005, the average deductible for a conventional fee-for-service health plan increased from $598 to $1,192. During the same period, patients were forced to pay larger co-pays for visits to a doctor and for prescription drugs.
* More and more Americans are uninsured. The number of uninsured in America has increased from 38 million in 2000, to 47 million today, a figure that includes 9 million children. Much of this increase comes from middle income families losing insurance coverage. For adults with incomes above 200 percent of the federal poverty level (about $42,000 per year for a family), the underinsured rate nearly tripled since 2003.
* An additional 25 million Americans are underinsured. The number of people who have insurance that does not adequately protect them from high medical expenses has risen dramatically. Between 2003 and 2007, the number of underinsured adults increased by 60 percent.
* Insurance companies continue to reap record profits. In 2007, the top five health insurance companies reported a combined profit of $10 billion. They accomplished this by cherry-picking healthy patients and denying needed care to unhealthy patients.
Progressive solutions:
Guarantee quality affordable health care for all, with premiums and out-of-pocket costs based on a family’s ability to pay. Under a progressive health care system, Americans are given a choice. If you currently have insurance you like, you can keep it. If you prefer, you can choose from the kind of regulated private plans now available to Congress, or opt into a new public insurance plan. A progressive health care system will save up to $120 billion as we emphasize preventative care, move toward electronic medical records, and decrease the number of costly emergency room visits.
For more on the health care issue, including key facts, talking points, polling, the progressive solution, and more, click here to visit the Making Sense 2008 website.
About This Email
----------------
This is the ninth of CAF's Making Sense 2008 emails. We're sending brief talking points to our progressive allies throughout 2008 regarding kitchen table economic issues. Please feel free to share these with your colleagues. They can subscribe to our Making Sense 2008 email list here: http://ga3.org/caf/making_sense_2008_email_signup.html
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
Tell-a-friend!
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Campaign for America's Future.
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Wow! It's about time. I sure hope to happens. I'm one of the lucky ones. I have very good insurance, but I have family members and friends that do not. It's just not fair. Thanks, Stacey. You're always a wealth of information. -
Glad you think so! I've been kind of incommunicado this week and will be for the next week or more as I've got a murder trial starting Monday.
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