Tag Archives: Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Aug 01

THE HEALTH CARE STATUS QUO IN YOUR STATE

Posted on by
I CITED SC BELOW.  FOR YOUR STATE CLICK ON:  http://www.healthreform.gov/
     

THE HEALTH CARE STATUS QUO:

Why South Carolina Needs Health Reform

Congress and the President are working to enact health care reform legislation that protects what works about health care and fixes what is broken. South Carolinians know that inaction is not an option. Sky-rocketing health care costs are hurting families, forcing businesses to cut or drop health benefits, and straining state budgets. Millions are paying more for less. Families and businesses in South Carolina deserve better.   

SOUTH CAROLINIANS CAN’T AFFORD THE STATUS QUO

  • Roughly 2.5 million people in South Carolina get health insurance on the job1, where family premiums average $12,676, about the annual earning of a full-time minimum wage job.2
  • Since 2000 alone, average family premiums have increased by 92 percent in South Carolina.3
  • Household budgets are strained by high costs: 28 percent of middle-income South Carolina families spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care.4
  • High costs block access to care: 15 percent of people in South Carolina report not visiting a doctor due to high costs.5
  • South Carolina businesses and families shoulder a hidden health tax of roughly $600 per year on premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the costs of the uninsured.6

AFFORDABLE HEALTH COVERAGE IS INCREASINGLY OUT OF REACH IN SOUTH CAROLINA

  • 16 percent of people in South Carolina are uninsured, and 73 percent of them are in families with at least one full-time worker.7
  • The percent of South Carolinians with employer coverage is declining: from 65 to 57 percent between 2000 and 2007.8
  • Much of the decline is among workers in small businesses. While small businesses make up 72 percent of South Carolina businesses,9 only 33 percent of them offered health coverage benefits in 2006 — down 7 percent since 2000.10
  • Choice of health insurance is limited in South Carolina. Blue Cross Blue Shield SC alone constitutes 66 percent of the health insurance market share in South Carolina, with the top two insurance providers accounting for 75 percent.11
  • Choice is even more limited for people with pre-existing conditions. In South Carolina, premiums can vary based on demographic factors and health status, and coverage can exclude pre-existing conditions or even be denied completely.

FOR MORE ON SC CLICK ON; http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/statehealthreform/southcarolina.html