Dept. HHS Director Sebelius released a state by state report outlining these factors.
I post them here for easy perusal.
HOOSIERS CAN’T AFFORD THE STATUS QUO
* Roughly 4.1 million people in Indiana get health insurance on the job, where family premiums average $13,252, about the annual earning of a full-time minimum wage job.
* Since 2000 alone, average family premiums have increased by 100 percent in Indiana.
* Household budgets are strained by high costs: 11 percent of middle-income Indiana families spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care.
* High costs block access to care: 13 percent of people in Indiana report not visiting a doctor due to high costs.
* Indiana businesses and families shoulder a hidden health tax of roughly $1200 per year on premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the costs of the uninsured.
AFFORDABLE HEALTH COVERAGE IS INCREASINGLY OUT OF REACH IN INDIANA
* 12 percent of people in Indiana are uninsured, and 71 percent of them are in families with at least one full-time worker.
* The percent of Indianians with employer coverage is declining: from 71 to 66 percent between 2000 and 2007.
* Much of the decline is among workers in small businesses. While small businesses make up 69 percent of Indiana businesses,9 only 34 percent of them offered health coverage benefits in 2006 -- down 11 percent since 2000.
* Choice of health insurance is limited in Indiana. WellPoint Inc. (BCBS) alone constitutes 60 percent of the health insurance market share in Indiana, with the top two insurance providers accounting for 75 percent.
* Choice is even more limited for people with pre-existing conditions. In Indiana, premiums can vary based on demographic factors and health status, and coverage can exclude pre-existing conditions or even be denied completely.
HOOSIERS NEED HIGHER QUALITY, GREATER VALUE, AND MORE PREVENTATIVE CARE
* The overall quality of care in Indiana is rated as “Weak.”
* Preventative measures that could keep Indianians healthier and out of the hospital are deficient, leading to problems across the age spectrum:
o 15 percent of children in Indiana are obese.
o 24 percent of women over the age of 50 in Indiana have not received a mammogram in the past two years.
o 41 percent of men over the age of 50 in Indiana have never had a colorectal cancer screening.
o 72 percent of adults over the age of 65 in Indiana have received a flu vaccine in the past year.
The need for reform in Indiana and across the country is clear. Indiana families simply can’t afford the status quo and deserve better. President Obama is committed to working with Congress to pass health reform this year that reduces costs for families, businesses and government; protects people’s choice of doctors, hospitals and health plans; and assures affordable, quality health care for all Americans
The Report can be read in it's entirety here: http://www.healthreform.gov/
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No Idea |