On health, a clear choice between Bush, Kerry

[Renew Deal]

October 17, 2004

The health care crisis is back. It's a lively topic in the presidential campaign.

Eleven years after the Clintons introduced their super-complex plan to revamp health care, the problems of rising costs and increasing numbers of uninsured have only gotten worse.

More than 43 million citizens under the age of 65 do not have health insurance - up from 38 million a decade ago. And fewer employers provide health insurance plans at all. Four years ago, 65 percent of employers offered health plans. Today it's 61 percent.

In addition, health care costs continue to skyrocket - well beyond the rate of inflation. Since 2001, premiums for family coverage have risen 59 percent, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey. That's five times the rate of inflation and well above the increase in income for the average worker. For employers, it adds to the cost of doing business and discourages hiring new employees.
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