As the currently proposed healthcare legislation and its debate in Congress have dominated the news recently, nurses have come together to voice the opinions of those on healthcare's front line. Many registered nurses (RNs) unite to support serious healthcare reform including Medicare for all as the best way to control costs.
The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation working toward a high performance health system, issued a report this fall on projections for insurance premiums in the coming years. The researchers looked at federal data and found that if employer-sponsored insurance premiums increase at the projected rate of increase, then the average premium for family coverage would reach $23,842 by 2020, a 94 percent increase from the 2008 average. Researchers further determined the 2020 averages if premium growth was reduced by both 1 and 1.5 percentage points in all states. If premium growth could be slowed by 1 percent, both employers and families would save $2,571 per premium for family coverage. If premium growth were to slow 1.5 percentage points, the number agreed upon by a major industry coalition, the savings would increase to $3,759.
The Commonwealth Fund report emphasized the increasing strain on U.S. families. The projected 94 percent increase in private insurance premiums predicted by 2020 will fall on top of the 119 percent increase the U.S. has seen since 1999. Put another way, from 1999 through 2008, health insurance premiums rose four times higher than family incomes. The recession has further worsened these numbers.
The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) reported the opinions of registered nurse Deborah Burger, co-president of the organization which represents 86,000 members.
"These findings are merely the shocking state of premiums, not even including a concurrent jump in out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-pays, and other fees. It's no wonder that medical bills now are the leading factor in 62 percent of bankruptcies, and half of American families are rationing medical care because they can't afford it," Burger said.
She continued, "Yet, rather than show any compassion for how their price gouging practices have harmed so many families, the insurance giants are planning to continue to plunder the American people with more huge increases in premium prices."
Burger went on to offer a solution. "Such practices should remind us why there is such a desperate need for real reform. Unfortunately, there is little in the major plans being discussed to crack down on the pricing practices of the insurance industry. The most effective approach is the one that has worked in other industrial countries, a single-payer or national system."
"Congress and the administration still has time to pass legislation that will protect American families facing rationing, denial of care, and bankruptcy due to the disgraceful insurance industry policies. Medicare for all remains the most universal, most cost-effective solution to this crisis," Burger concluded.