“When it comes to health care, government has an
obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled and poor children.
And we will meet those responsibilities. For all other Americans,
private health insurance is the best way to meet their
needs.”
— President George W. Bush, in his State of the Union
address last month. In the address, Bush proposed a plan to help
cover the nation's uninsured that includes changes to the tax code
and federal assistance to states.
6.9% Percentage by which health care spending grew in 2005, compared to 7.2 percent in 2004 and 8.1 percent in 2003, marking the slowest growth rate since 1999 when spending rose 6.2 percent
Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
“Diabetes is a national health epidemic — the
impact of which is felt most heavily in the Medicare
population.”
— U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chuck Schumer,
D-N.Y., joined by 17 Senate colleagues, in a bipartisan letter
sent to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt in December urging that a
priority be placed on diabetes screening and prevention for
Medicare beneficiaries.
74% of consumers polled recently said they don't always take their prescription medications as directed.
Source: National Community Pharmacists Association
“More than 60 emergency rooms have closed over the past
decade because they didn't want to keep treating people without
insurance. Unpaid medical bills mean billions of dollars in hidden
taxes for the rest of us because those services all have to be paid
for. So we pay higher deductibles, costs for treatment, premiums
and co-pays. Companies stop offering coverage, which leads to more
people without insurance, and the whole cycle keeps
repeating.”
— California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who revealed a
reform plan last month that would require all residents to have
health insurance.
88% of health care leaders surveyed said expanding coverage for the uninsured is “absolutely essential” or “very important” as a top health care priority for the new Congress over the next five years.
Source: The Commonwealth Fund
