What Happens to Health Care and Health Insurance...if Nothing Happens?
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article asking, "What Happens if Health Care Reform Fails?", looking at the possible implications of nothing being done in the realm of reforming health care or health insurance, something that even health insurance companies agree needs to happen. Adding to this discussion is a new article from The Wall Street Journal entitled, "What Happens If Nothing Happens to Health Care?" by David Wessel. The author talks to economists, business leaders and others about what might happen.
One thing is clear…if nothing is done, the situation will only get much worse. According to a report from the Urban Institute last Spring -- when looking into this very issue -- at best, the number of uninsured would increase over several years to 57 million, which is 20% higher than the current number of 49 million. Experts also agree that health insurance will become harder and harder to get for many people, also adding to the numbers of uninsured Americans.
Why is this? As the costs of health care skyrocket -- and they're already at record levels, reaching $2.5 trillion in 2009 -- the cost of health insurance will skyrocket accordingly. This means fewer employers will offer it because it will become so expensive. Even if employers do offer it, employees might not take insurance due to the expensively high premiums. Premiums will likely rise quicker than salaries, putting health insurance even further out of reach for lower and middle-class families and individuals.
These numbers and figures are part of the best-case scenario too. While no one can fully say with confidence what will happen if...well...nothing happens in health care and health insurance reform, but everyone agrees that these scenarios are bleak and inevitable. The article also raises another valid point, brought upon by Helen Darling, head of the National Business Group on Health.
She says, "The most depressing thing about it is that it shows the failure of the political system. Have we lost the capacity to do certain things? Can we govern? That's the most frightening thing. I'm very depressed that we can't solve even parts of these problems."
It truly is a shame that this debate has shown how fractured our government has become.
