Working Families Cast Votes for Health Care Reform

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/11/10/working-families-cast-votes-for-health-care-reform/

by Mike Hall, Nov 10, 2008

A post-election poll by Lake Research partners found that 74 percent of voters said health care was extremely or very important in deciding for whom to cast their vote as president. Reducing the cost of health care beat out other issues such as gas and food prices, jobs, retirement security and other financial concerns.

By a margin of 24 points—55 percent to 31 percent—voters said President-elect Barack Obama is better able to handle the nation’s health crisis than Sen. John McCain. When they cast their ballots, 60 percent of voters who said they were worried about health care chose Obama, with 38 percent going for McCain.

Even as families are deeply worried about soaring health care costs, just days after the election the nation’s for-profit hospitals reported a record $47 billion in profits for 2007.

The American Hospital Association says the $47 billion was the largest single-year increase in profits since 1993. The association also reports that hospital expenses grew slower than revenue for the fifth year in a row.

Expenses may be slowing and profits growing for hospitals, but as a recent Families USA survey found, health insurance expenses for working families are soaring, far outpacing their incomes. The state-by-state survey, Premiums vs. Paychecks, shows that health insurance premiums are growing as much five times faster than paychecks.

For example:

* Ohio: Health care premiums rose 76.4 percent and wages 8.94 percent.
* Pennsylvania: Health care premiums rose 86.2 percent and wages 13.4 percent.
* Wisconsin: Health care premiums rose 73.9 percent and wages 15.5 percent.
* Minnesota: Health care premiums rose 73.8 percent and wages 17.1 percent.

Reforming health care will be a priority for the new Obama administration. During the campaign, Obama offered a plan that would enable families to keep their existing health care coverage if they are satisfied with it.

His plan also offers other options that include enabling small businesses and individuals who don’t have job-based coverage to join cost-effective large insurance pools. By extending coverage to more people, encouraging preventive care and updating health care technology, Obama’s plan would lower costs for working families. Lower health care costs will take a lot of pressure off families getting squeezed in this economy.