The number of Americans without health insurance could rise to almost 60 million by 2015 from 49 million today if nothing is done to overhaul the health-care system, a new forecast says.
The uninsured could reach more than 67 million in 10 years, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which paid for the study conducted by the Urban Institute. Read the study and related data here.
The numbers above are whats seen under the worse-case scenario (continuing high jobless rates, slow income growth, high health-cost growth). But youd have to be pretty optimistic about the world to expect the best-case scenario (full employment, etc.).
No matter which forecast they looked at, the researchers said the middle class would suffer most without reform. Those employers continuing to offer health insurance benefits would pass on more costs to workers while individuals and families would pay more in out of pocket for premiums and health services.
And despite covering fewer workers, employer would see spending on premiums almost double to $851 billion in 2020 under the worst-case outlook, according to the projections.
The bottom line is that we are likely to see a significant deterioration in who has health insurance coverage in this country, coupled with untenable increases in private and public spending, an Urban Institute researcher said.
Image: iStockphoto