Regardless of whether Congress enacts health care reform, the private sector isn’t waiting. Health care for our employees is too expensive, and the employer-based system must be reformed.
More Americans — 146 million people, or 57 percent of the country — get health insurance through their employers than they do through Medicare or Medicaid, each with more than 50 million enrollees. But for years, premiums and co-payments have been rising for the workers at America’s private-sector companies.
The United States government defines health care as “affordable” if it costs less than 9.7 percent of a household’s income. By that standard, in less than 10 years more than half of employees who are heads of families are projected to be unable to afford their health care costs, creating a significant problem for everyone.
