For many of the nearly 28 million Americans without health insurance, it is impossible to comply with the CDC guidelines to stay home and call a doctor when Covid-19 symptoms appear.
As acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, I learned that the agency's guidelines were only as effective as the public's ability to follow them. Today, millions of Americans lack the means to do so due to housing and economic insecurity, lack of medical or family leave, or lack of transportation to drive to a clinic or test site. But the inability of many people to pay for health insurance, especially people of color or those in low-paying jobs, is one of our country's most obvious vulnerabilities during this pandemic.
There will be a reckoning and a reassessment of America's priorities after the pandemic subsides. When this happens, legislators must have the vision and the courage to look beyond the political devastation of past health battles and think about how to build a better system. There are many means to a better end, but the way forward must include both increased eligibility for subsidized coverage and cost containment measures. We must seek to take advantage of the ACA's promise to expand coverage and fill the gaps that remain. The coronavirus has exposed this nation in a number of ways, and we must find the will to address the unfair, inconsistent, and ineffective health insurance system we are affecting today.
Our employer-based system, which was formed almost as a historical incident after WWII, is becoming increasingly inappropriate for our time. The costs are too high, as is the number of people without insurance, and the system is complicated, impractical and patient. Despite the expansion of ACA coverage in 2010 that has become a lifeline for millions, residents near Texas remain uninsured, and this could increase by millions as a result of the current economic turmoil. It is difficult to find someone to defend this status quo.
The unreliable correlation between jobs and coverage, coupled with ideologically driven case differences on whether to expand Medicaid, leads to a country where access to health care depends on where you live and work. This sad reality is not new, but it was projected during a pandemic that served to clarify and accelerate the disproportionate opportunities and systemic barriers that leave African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans disproportionately exposed and vulnerable.
At a time when healthcare needs are increasing along with federal and state deficits, an ethical and financial case can be made for radical structural change. Moral status is implicit, as any society that claims to value its people, all its members, cannot be satisfied with the status quo that leaves tens of millions of people exposed and indifferent as COVID-19 rages. The physical and mental health needs are increasing day by day. The financial situation may not have been more apparent than it is today, as non-pandemic healthcare costs put pressure on workers, businesses and taxpayers amid the historic economic downturn.
People who have employer-sponsored insurance consider themselves lucky. However, a closer look reveals a different truth: Higher premiums consume more of the house payment, while copays and prescription drug costs are falling relative to the rest. According to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average premium paid by workers for family coverage has increased 71% over the past decade, while the average deduction has increased 162%. Not surprisingly, many Americans are deeply concerned about paying for health care in the coming months.
As acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, I learned that the agency's guidelines were only as effective as the public's ability to follow them. Today, millions of Americans lack the means to do so due to housing and economic insecurity, lack of medical or family leave, or lack of transportation to drive to a clinic or test site. But the inability of many people to pay for health insurance, especially people of color or those in low-paying jobs, is one of our country's most obvious vulnerabilities during this pandemic.
There will be a reckoning and a reassessment of America's priorities after the pandemic subsides. When this happens, legislators must have the vision and the courage to look beyond the political devastation of past health battles and think about how to build a better system. There are many means to a better end, but the way forward must include both increased eligibility for subsidized coverage and cost containment measures. We must seek to take advantage of the ACA's promise to expand coverage and fill the gaps that remain. The coronavirus has exposed this nation in a number of ways, and we must find the will to address the unfair, inconsistent, and ineffective health insurance system we are affecting today.
Our employer-based system, which was formed almost as a historical incident after WWII, is becoming increasingly inappropriate for our time. The costs are too high, as is the number of people without insurance, and the system is complicated, impractical and patient. Despite the expansion of ACA coverage in 2010 that has become a lifeline for millions, residents near Texas remain uninsured, and this could increase by millions as a result of the current economic turmoil. It is difficult to find someone to defend this status quo.
The unreliable correlation between jobs and coverage, coupled with ideologically driven case differences on whether to expand Medicaid, leads to a country where access to health care depends on where you live and work. This sad reality is not new, but it was projected during a pandemic that served to clarify and accelerate the disproportionate opportunities and systemic barriers that leave African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans disproportionately exposed and vulnerable.
At a time when healthcare needs are increasing along with federal and state deficits, an ethical and financial case can be made for radical structural change. Moral status is implicit, as any society that claims to value its people, all its members, cannot be satisfied with the status quo that leaves tens of millions of people exposed and indifferent as COVID-19 rages. The physical and mental health needs are increasing day by day. The financial situation may not have been more apparent than it is today, as non-pandemic healthcare costs put pressure on workers, businesses and taxpayers amid the historic economic downturn.
People who have employer-sponsored insurance consider themselves lucky. However, a closer look reveals a different truth: Higher premiums consume more of the house payment, while copays and prescription drug costs are falling relative to the rest. According to research by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average premium paid by workers for family coverage has increased 71% over the past decade, while the average deduction has increased 162%. Not surprisingly, many Americans are deeply concerned about paying for health care in the coming months.
For the countless small businesses devastated by the pandemic, annual plan renewals will likely become a daunting exercise to see if the math works. In some states, employer-sponsored insurance pays rates to healthcare providers up to 300% higher than those paid by the healthcare program, a reality that has resulted in more small businesses terminating sponsored plans altogether. by the employer. Pharmaceutical companies have increased costs, healthcare systems impose prices, and employers, unlike the government, have little power to negotiate effectively. The federal corporate tax incentive eases the pain of high costs and is a financial illusion that helps mask the need for change.
Although I now run the nation's largest charity focused solely on health, I do not have the arrogance to suggest that I or our corporation can offer an answer to solve America's health insurance challenges. But it is clear that the evidence requires a new path to a better system that provides everyone with access to comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable healthcare. Doing so can save suffering, lives, and our scarce money.
The CDC, an agency I have called home for 13 years, is uniquely equipped to provide robust, science-based guidance to our nation during this public health emergency. But if millions of people cannot follow this advice or meet their basic medical needs, we will all continue to pay the price during this pandemic, and no matter how long we endure this broken and oppressive system.
Although I now run the nation's largest charity focused solely on health, I do not have the arrogance to suggest that I or our corporation can offer an answer to solve America's health insurance challenges. But it is clear that the evidence requires a new path to a better system that provides everyone with access to comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable healthcare. Doing so can save suffering, lives, and our scarce money.
The CDC, an agency I have called home for 13 years, is uniquely equipped to provide robust, science-based guidance to our nation during this public health emergency. But if millions of people cannot follow this advice or meet their basic medical needs, we will all continue to pay the price during this pandemic, and no matter how long we endure this broken and oppressive system.
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