1/3 of Uninsured Employed by Large Cos

[radwriter0555]

Third of Nation's Workers Without Health Insurance Are Employed by Large Companies, a Study Says

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON Oct. 21 — A third of the nation's workers without health insurance are employed by large companies, a study says.
Thirty-two percent of all uninsured workers in 2001 were employed by big companies, up from 25 percent in 1987, according to the report released Tuesday by The Commonwealth Fund.

Researchers cited as factors soaring health care costs, declines in manufacturing and union jobs and the changing structure of large corporations those with more than 500 employees and the benefits they offer.

"Policy-makers seeking solutions to the growing uninsured problem must look beyond workers in small firms, or they risk leaving out a large group of low-wage uninsured workers," said Jeanne Lambrew, an author of the study and an associate professor of health policy at George Washington University.

The study also noted that seven out of 10 uninsured workers at large companies were not offered health insurance, and 15 percent were ineligible. Low-income workers were the most likely to be without coverage.

More http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/ap20031021_902.html

THANK the GOP CONGRESS for making the USA the ONLY civilized nation on the planet without nationalized health care. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Thanks george.

[stopthegop]

1. THANK the GOP CONGRESS

that's just silly...the Dems controlled Congress for years and didn't enact nationalized health care (remember 1993?)..it's both parties, not just Republicans...

[radwriter0555]

2. Excuse me? What GOP president proposed nationalized health

care?

NONE.

[stopthegop]

3. did the Dems enact it when they were in power?

and could have?..it has been both parties

[radwriter0555]

4. Who proposed it? The POINT is that when the CLINTON ADMINISTRATION

tried to implement such a measure after decades of lip service, it was in fact the GOP Congress and all their lobbyists and henchmen who fought tooth and nail to prevent such a thing.

It's SHAMEFUL. The USA is the ONLY civilized nation without nationalized health care. Shame, shame, shame.

[stopthegop]

6. read the history...

when Clinton proposed it in 1993 Dems controlled Congress, both houses...they let it die

[denverbill]

7. You're correct.

Most Democrats supported it, but the pro-business right-wing Democrats were bribed by insurance companies and HMO's and sold out their constituents. All Republicans opposed it since they were already on the take from the drug companies and HMO's. When Democrats had a slim majority, it only took a few bribes to scuttle national health insurance.

[radwriter0555]

8. Lengthy analysis of the complex issue, and I still back that the GOP are

the ones who ultimately killed any such potential.

http://www.princeton.edu/~starr/20starr.html

"Why did universal coverage fail?" it is simply this: Congress would not enact the employer mandate in any form, and when the mandate failed, so did universal coverage, because there was no willingness to consider a broad-based tax. At the inception of the debate, the employer mandate enjoyed more interest-group support than ever before as well as approval by a wide margin in public opinion polls. But while groups like the AMA and the health insurers had accepted a mandate as preferable to a tax-financed system, they would never fight for it, nor would other interest groups. On the other hand, the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), the small-business lobby, fiercely resisted the mandate and targeted its efforts strategically to districts of swing members of key committees.

[mainegreen]

5. Its going to be up to the states

Here in Maine we're moving to universal care with Dirigo and Maine RX. :)

Interesting enough many Republicrats here supported Dirigo. Amazing what widespread poverty will force the Republicans to support!

[zoidberg]

11. Nixon

http://www.nixonfoundation.org/Research_Center/1974_pdf_files/1974_0034.pdf

[Skittles]

9. WAL-MART?

:puke:

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. People works for Lettuces? (n/t)