Key Policy Area 1 - Private Insurance Coverage
or nine of the last 10 years and during the longest economic expansion in
American history, the number of Americans without health insurance has increased.
Today, there are almost 43 million uninsured people— nearly 10 million more
than a decade ago. In the near term, rising premiums will likely drive the number
of uninsured even higher and affect the kind of coverage people have and how
much they have to pay for it.
Incremental coverage proposals at the state and federal levels are numerous and
gathering some steam, including tax credits targeted at employers and the individual
market and expansion of public programs. HSC will continue to draw on its understanding
of consumers, employers, providers and health plans to assess the current and
future behavior of these groups and how they interact with respect to insurance
coverage.
Recent and planned HSC analyses on this topic are numerous and varied. Selected
examples follow: Why don’t people take advantage of employer-sponsored insurance
offered to them? How have small firms’ offer and take-up rates changed over time
and why? Where should tax credits be targeted—individuals, families or employers?
How effective would a tax credit be in communities with high uninsurance rates
or in areas where the uninsured are less healthy?
As the economy falters and labor markets loosen, employers already are changing
or paring back health benefits and shifting costs to employees. HSC researchers
have tracked—and will continue to track—changes in types of insurance coverage,
benefit design and who bears the cost of coverage. As HSC did with defined contributions,
it will strive to anticipate possible new models of insurance and their implications,
particularly how costs, risk and responsibility for decisions are shared between
employers and employees.
Related Publications by HSC Staff
Inquiry, Vol. 37, No. 1 Spring 2001What Accounts for Variation in Uninsurance Rates Across Communities?
by Peter J. Cunningham and Paul B. Ginsburg Issue Brief No. 36 April 2001
Tax Credits and Purchasing Pools: Will this Marriage Work?
by Sally Trude and Paul B. Ginsburg Issue Brief No. 32 October 2000
Are Defined Contributions a New Direction for Employer-Sponsored Coverage?
by Sally Trude and Paul B. Ginsburg
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Speaking about various defined-contribution schemes, HSC
senior researcher Sally Trude warns, “Older and sicker workers may be
unable to obtain or afford health insurance.”
—Medicine & Health, November 13, 2000
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