50 million Americans cannot afford healthcare

By Admin
Share
The global economic recession has forced millions of American citizens to go without much needed healthcare and prescription medication. Approximately...

The global economic recession has forced millions of American citizens to go without much needed healthcare and prescription medication.

Approximately 60 percent of people living in the US rely on health insurance from their employer, but between 2008 and 2010 15 million people lost their job, with nine million people losing their insurance policies too.

As a result, there are now 50 million people living in the country without access to affordable healthcare.

It has also been estimated that 72 percent of Americans are struggling to cope with medical bills or a healthcare-related debt.

 READ MORE FROM THE WDM CONTENT NETWORK:

To read the latest edition of Healthcare Global, click here

The report, which has been released by the Commonwealth Fund, also found that 60 percent of those who were uninsured during the recession were unable to find an affordable replacement plan.

Meanwhile, 35 percent of the unemployed were refused policies by health insurers.

Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), people working for companies with 20 or more employees who have the benefit of work-related health insurance can keep their policies for up to 18 months should they lose their job.

However, because unemployed workers must pay the full premium, few people elect to continue their coverage through COBRA.

Sara Collins, the Commonwealth Fund Vice President and co-author of the report, said: “Currently, for a majority of Americans, losing a job also means losing health insurance.

“To make matters worse, once you are unemployed and uninsured, it's nearly impossible to afford COBRA or buy an individual policy,” she added.

“However, when it is fully implemented in 2014, the Affordable Care Act will usher in a new era for the unemployed, who will have a variety of options for comprehensive and affordable health insurance."

Share

Featured Articles

How Huawei's Digital Solutions are Transforming Healthcare

Offering network, cloud, and AI solutions, Huawei is able to help healthcare providers deliver better outcomes for patients

2024 Nestlé Nutrition Symposium Explored Food & Health

Nestlé manufactures 4.5m KitKats every day, but the food giant is also focused on advancing food nutrition, as explored at the 2024 International Symposium

Thirona’s AI Tech is Creating Individualised Patient Care

Eva van Rikxoort, CEO and Founder of Thirona, tells us how AI technology is advancing lung imaging and bringing more individualised treatment to patients

AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre, Constructed by Mace Group

Technology & AI

NeoGenomics: Data in Oncology Testing & Diagnostics

AI & ML

Samsung’s New Health Software Development Kit Suite

Digital Healthcare