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		Lack of Affordable Health is a Growing Problem

I recently read that the number of adults without health insurance jumped by 2 million from 2005 to 2006, totaling 43.6 million individuals in the United States, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Clearly, if the lack of affordable healthcare were a disease, it would be an epidemic!

In Utah, the number of uninsured and underinsured individuals is also climbing. There are more than 300,000 low-income uninsured individuals in the state, and the number is growing. What’s more, in 2005, 12.3 percent of all Utah children under 18 were uninsured, despite funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Decreasing Benefits

While the state is enjoying record low unemployment rates, rising health insurance costs have caused many small businesses to drop coverage or turn to high deductible health benefit packages, and stopped many people from buying healthcare insurance privately. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Utah ranked 31st of the states with 36 percent of smaller firms (less than 50 employees) offering health coverage. For firms with 50 or more employees, Utah ranked last nationally, with less than 89 percent of larger firms offering coverage. The proportion of firms offering health insurance coverage to employees declines as firm size decreases. For all categories of firm size, the percent of Utah firms offering coverage lags behind the national average. (Read the full article)
 
 Deborah S. Bayle
 President and CEO