First we had the uninsured, now the underinsured posing a risk, what is the next group to add to the system? With being underinsured, at least the effort is being made to have some type of insurance coverage, but will this progression continue to soon blend both groups into the same undesirable category and continue to wreak havoc with just trying to get healthcare services when you need it? BD
TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- One in four Americans with health insurance are still underinsured -- meaning they are often using up their savings or turning to credit cards to cover medical expenses, according to a survey in the September Consumer Reports.
And overall, the survey of 37,000 people found, 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 have inadequate access to health care. "Because health care is so expensive, it's coming up to bite ordinary people."
"Four out of 10 Americans can't count on having health insurance when they need it," said senior project editor Nancy Metcalf, the article's author. "This includes people who don't have health insurance, but also the 3-in-10 people whose health insurance is so bad or so costly to them that are having trouble accessing and paying for medical care."
This means that some 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 have inadequate access to health care. Most employers are struggling to keep their employees insured, even as large health insurance companies continue to reap huge profits, the report said. "Employers, too, are feeling the strain of rising costs. In 2000, the average employer contribution for a family plan was $135 a month; by 2006, the cost was $248," Metcalf said.
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