The Cost of Failure to Enact Health Reform: 2010–2020
This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report analyzes the impact of failed health reform efforts at the national and individual levels over 10 years. The analysis reveals that without effective reform, employer-sponsored coverage will wane, the total number of uninsured will increase significantly, and Federal and State expenditures on public programs, along with out-of-pocket costs for individuals and families, will rise drastically.
To examine the effects of maintaining the status quo for worst-case, intermediate-case, and best-case scenarios, the Urban Institute’s Health Insurance Policy Simulation Model was used. Outcomes showed slow growth in income and increased growth rates for health care costs at the worst case, and full employment, faster income growth, and slower growth in health care costs at the best case. Under any scenario, however, the analysis shows individuals and employers facing stringent financial barriers.
Please click here to read the report.