|
|
March 22-28
is
'Cover the Uninsured
Week' Maine's
come far since 1994 Health Reform Debate-
But still has a ways to go
|
Dear
Jaime,
It's been 15 years since our nation
has had a serious discussion about health reform.
Over the years what has been a bad situation has
only gotten worse. The health care system in Maine
and the nation has been pushed to the breaking
point.
The bottom line is that rising
health care costs are making it tough for Maine
families to stay afloat. During these uncertain
economic times when the price of housing and
groceries are putting a strain on family budgets,
health care costs continue to spin out of control.
As a result, more people are going without health
coverage.
"As the economy worsens,
we are seeing a tremendous increase in calls on
the Consumers for Affordable Health Care (CAHC)
HelpLine. People are desperate for answers
as they lose their jobs, and with it their
employer-sponsored health insurance. We've
done a great job in Maine in leading the nation by
getting important health care and coverage
protections on our law books and adding programs
like Dirigo Health. The two steps combined
have helped us lower our rate of uninsured more
than most other states in the country. But
we need to do more now to reform our entire health
care system. Otherwise the combination of
exploding health coverage and care costs and the
loss of employment are going to undermine a decade
and a half of work in our state-and for the first
time since 1994 force more Mainers into the ranks
of the uninsured. And that will only cost us
all more in the long run," says CAHC
Communications Coordinator Cherilee Budrick
.
As we observe, "Cover the
Unisured Week," The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
released a new report, "At the Brink: Trends in
America's Uninsured 1994-2007," which chronicles
state-by-state health coverage trends. During the
last 15 years, America has seen increased numbers
of uninsured residents, greater costs for workers
amidst flat incomes, and significant erosion of
private coverage. (For more information, see www.rwjf.org) The report shows
that from 1994 through 2007 Maine reduced the
number of uninsured people, but our businesses and
families are paying a much greater cost for their
coverage than the rest of the
country. | |
 From
1994 to 2007
Maine:
- Increased the number
of non-elderly Mainers with insurance by more
than 20,000 people.
- More than doubled the
number of insured children.
- Businesses and
families started paying more in premiums for
insurance than nearly every other state in the
country.
- Incomes increased at
a rate much lower than most other states in the
country.
The
above trends can't continue, especially in this
economy. While the numbers are grim, the sad
truth is that the situation is likely even worse
than any of us realize. The most recent government
numbers do not take into consideration the
thousands of Mainers- our friends, neighbors and
relatives - who are losing their jobs and
insurance every month.
As we have
clearly seen over the past decade and a half, the
longer we wait to fix health care, the worse it
gets. It's a vicious cycle. When costs go up, more
people become uninsured. The more people who are
uninsured, the more costs go up for our entire
health care system.
Fortunately a
lot has changed since the 1990s. There's consensus
among diverse stakeholders that action is needed,
promising solutions at the state level to provide
examples and a commitment from leaders in
Washington to reform the
system.
Waiting for Congress to act,
however should not postpone state action in Maine.
In order to achieve a healthier and more
prosperous state we will need strong leadership
and commitment from our state and national
leaders. |
For more
information
Consumers for Affordable
Health Care is a non-profit, non-partisan
organization that has been helping Maine people
get quality, affordable health care for more than
20 years.
For more
information or contact:
Cherilee Budrick,
Communications Coordinator
Consumers for
Affordable Health Care
207-622-7083 or cbudrick@mainecahc.org | |
| |
