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Results
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Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 21:33:03 PM CDT
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With Republican Senator Mike Johanns working to stall health care legislation and certain to stand in the way of any real reform, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has just issued a very timely report that shows why the people of Nebraska will no longer accept the same excuses and endless delays that Johanns and his Republican cohorts have hidden behind for the last 15 years:
THE HEALTH CARE STATUS QUO:
Why Nebraska Needs Health Reform....
Congress and the President are working to enact health care reform legislation that protects what works about health care and fixes what is broken. Nebraskans know that inaction is not an option. Sky-rocketing health care costs are hurting families, forcing businesses to cut or drop health benefits, and straining state budgets. Millions are paying more for less. Families and businesses in Nebraska deserve better.
NEBRASKANS CAN'T AFFORD THE STATUS QUO
- Roughly 1.1 million people in Nebraska get health insurance on the job, where family premiums average $12,469, about the annual earning of a full-time minimum wage job.
- Since 2000 alone, average family premiums have increased by 84 percent in Nebraska.
- Household budgets are strained by high costs: 30 percent of middle-income Nebraska families spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care.
- High costs block access to care: 10 percent of people in Nebraska report not visiting a doctor due to high costs.
- Nebraska businesses and families shoulder a hidden health tax of roughly $1000 per year on premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the costs of the uninsured.
AFFORDABLE HEALTH COVERAGE IS INCREASINGLY OUT OF REACH IN NEBRASKA - 13 percent of people in Nebraska are uninsured, and 76 percent of them are in families with at least one full-time worker.
- The percent of Nebraskans with employer coverage is declining: 63 percent were covered in 2007.
- Much of the decline is among workers in small businesses. While small businesses make up 78 percent of Nebraska businesses, only 27 percent of them offered health coverage benefits in 2006 -- down 8 percent since 2000.
- Choice of health insurance is limited in Nebraska. Blue Cross Blue Shield NE alone constitutes 44 percent of the health insurance market share in Nebraska, with the top two insurance providers accounting for 69 percent.
- Choice is even more limited for people with pre-existing conditions. In Nebraska, premiums can vary based on demographic factors and health status, and coverage can even be denied completely....
The need for reform in Nebraska and across the country is clear. Nebraska families simply can't afford the status quo and deserve better. President Obama is committed to working with Congress to pass health reform this year that reduces costs for families, businesses and government; protects people's choice of doctors, hospitals and health plans; and assures affordable, quality health care for all Americans.
The time is now for health care reform. No delay. No excuses. The people of Nebraska have had enough! |
| Kyle Michaelis :: Why Nebraska Needs Health Care Reform |
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