Starbucks spends more on health care than it does on coffee beans; Ford spends more on health care than steel. Rising health care costs reduce the ability of US employers to compete globally and make it harder for them to pay higher wages to their employees.
» How does the cost of health care impact US employers?
More than 70 million "baby boomers" will soon be eligible for Medicare - we have to be ready.
With Medicare already paying out more than it takes in, it will face bankruptcy if something doesn’t change and we cannot absorb the $65 trillion debt that will follow. We must make changes that will allow us to care for those who currently depend on Medicare as well as those who depend on it in the future.
» How is the health care crisis impacting Medicare?
Physicians and other providers want to be more than bureaucratic gatekeepers; they want to triage patients based on health needs rather than on ability to pay.
We need a rational, accessible system of health care for everyone. We need a system where physicians can focus on medicine instead of their business operation. We need a system, in short, where caretakers can focus on providing care.
» How health providers would change the way they practice
Close to 10% of the premium paid by Oregonians who receive their coverage through their employer goes to pay for the health care needs of the uninsured.
When those without a way to pay for their health care get sick enough, they go to the emergency room where federal laws require that they be seen and treated. So we end up paying for strokes in the hospital rather than treating hypertension in the community. And the costs are simply shifted to those with insurance through increases in their premiums.
Most of the uninsured are working and paying taxes.
Even though there are more than 600,000 Oregonians currently uninsured, 75% of them are working - and paying taxes to support a system that doesn't benefit them.
» How do people without insurance access care?
Young adults, ages 19-24, are the age group most likely to be uninsured in the United States. More than thirty-six percent were uninsured for all or part of 2003.
While young adults may not be aware of the direct costs of our health care system they are feeling those costs indirectly.The cost of health care is taking a growing portion of state budgets, resulting in limited funds for public education (K-12 and higher education) and public safety. Young adults will also be left to deal with the massive national debt which is being driven to a large extent by the cost of health care. » How does the health care crisis impact people who are young and healthy?
The US health care system is broken and Oregonians have the power to fix it. We can do better. We can create a new system – one with a clear and simple goal: health.
