The Case for Universal Health Care
INTRODUCTION
Over the last few decades, the United States has witnessed skyrocketing health care
costs. Health insurance premiums have been rising on average by double-digit
percentage points over the past five years, a rate of increase that is 2-3 times the rate
of inflation.1 Because of these out-of-control health care costs, there has been a steep
rise in the number of uninsured Americans. Currently, more than 45 million Americans
lack any form of health insurance, and millions more are “underinsured” – they have
insurance but lack adequate financial protection from health care costs.
While this problem was formerly a problem confined to low-income Americans, more
and more middle-class citizens are becoming directly affected by the problem.
In the face of rising health care costs, fewer employers are able to provide their
workers with health insurance; the percentage of employers offering health insurance
dropped from 69% in 2000 to 60% in 2005. Even if employers are able to provide
health insurance benefits, the trend is towards providing high-deductible insurance that
covers an ever-shrinking percentage of health care costs.1 The net result is that more
and more employed middle-class Americans find themselves with low-quality or no
access to health care.
The erosion of employer-based coverage has been partially offset by increased
enrollment in Medicaid, which is designed to provide a safety-net for the lowest income
Americans.2 However, Medicaid has recently been the subject of relentless funding
cuts by cash-strapped states and Congressional representatives who are ideologically
opposed to welfare programs. As the program continues to be slashed, it is certain
that Medicaid will not be able to offset the losses in employer-based insurance,
resulting in more and more uninsured individuals.
Health insecurity is at an all-time high. In a time when thousands of people lose their
health insurance every day, when health care i