Diminishing Access to Care

Millions of Americans do not have health coverage, or have inadequate coverage. As our economic challenges multiply, the problem of health care access grows.

From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%.¹⁵

An estimated 87 million people - one in every three Americans under the age of 65 - were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008.¹⁶

More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families.^17,18

Children without insurance have decreased access to well-child care, immunizations, basic dental services, and prescription medication. Uninsured adults similarly have less access to needed preventive care, and when sick, they are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes.¹⁹

This in turn leads to lost workplace productivity and greater risk of illness and death, at a cost of $65 to $135 billion per year.^20,21,22

However, when the uninsured do obtain health care coverage, access to effective clinical services and health outcomes improve.²³

In the current economic crisis, even people with insurance are forgoing needed medical care, including prescription medications and doctor visits, because of inability to pay copayments and deductibles.²⁴

In the past 4 years, the number of people above 200% of the poverty line who spend more than 10% of their income on health care has more than tripled. About half of them report difficulty paying bills.²⁵

People with insurance also report difficulty accessing care when they live in areas with high uninsurance rates, and physicians in these regions believe that they cannot make medical decisions in the best interest of their patients.²⁶

Next: Persistent Gaps in Quality >