Health Reform: The Cost of Failure
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Thursday, May 21 12:15-1:30 p.m.
Panelists: • Bowen Garrett, senior research associate, Health Policy Center, Urban Institute • John Holahan, director, Health Policy Center, Urban Institute • Andrew Hyman, team director and senior program officer, Health Care Group, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (moderator) • Karen Ignagni, president and CEO, America’s Health Insurance Plans • Len Nichols, director, Health Policy Program, New America Foundation If federal health reform efforts are not enacted, a forthcoming Urban Institute study finds, more than 60 million Americans could be uninsured within 10 years as insurance premiums increase to unsustainable levels for individuals, families, and businesses. As a result, private coverage will fall, enrollment in public programs will increase, and the number of uninsured will rise. Middle-income families will be the hardest hit. The analysis, prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, uses three economic scenarios, each of which shows mounting strains on business owners and their employees over the next decade. Individual and family spending on premiums and out-of-pocket costs would increase significantly. In addition, spending on public programs would jump and costs for uncompensated care would grow. Urban Institute researchers will present their analysis, with reactions from top health care experts. |
