Access to Affordable Health Care

Background

More than 174 million people in the United States receive health insurance through their employers. In 2005, the number of uninsured Americans increased to 45 million, up from 43.6 million in 2002, as health care costs grew and more people found they could no longer afford their plans or lost access to a workplace health plan. Between 2000 and 2003, the percentage of non-elderly Americans with workplace health coverage decreased from 67.1% to 63%.

About 60.4% of uninsured people live in a family in which the head of the family works full time for the full year but is either not offered health insurance or cannot afford to pay the premiums to participate. Uninsured workers tend to be self-employed or work for smaller businesses: 12.3% of the self-employed are uninsured; 31.8% of workers at businesses with fewer than 10 people are uninsured; 26.4% of workers at businesses with between 10 and 24 workers are uninsured; and 18.4% of workers at businesses with between 25 and 100 employees are uninsured. In addition, health care costs continue to grow at a record pace, with costs for large companies increasing by 13.2% in 2003, while small businesses are experiencing annual premium increases of 15.5%.

The U.S. Chamber believes the problem of access to affordable coverage is our highest health care-related priority and requires swift congressional action.

U.S. Chamber Position

Dealing with problem of the uninsured and access to affordable coverage should be one of Congress' top priorities.

We support strengthening and expanding the current employer-based system while developing alternatives for individually owned health coverage. These proposals include:

• Allowing above-the-line deductions for individuals who pay their own health insurance premiums (including premiums for long-term care insurance).
• Creating forward-funded, refundable tax credits for the purchase of private health coverage for low- and moderate-income individuals and families.
• Reforms to the small business group insurance market, including allowing associations to offer health coverage under ERISA to small businesses, individuals and the self-employed.
• Expanding the availability of Health Savings Accounts.
• Providing independent, third-party reviews of medical claims denials.
• Reforming the medical malpractice liability system.
• Modifying the "use it or lose it" provision of the Flexible Spending Account.