The Cost of Doing Nothing

Posted Monday, January 25, 2010 by Jarvis Dortch

Continuing the status quo on health care is not an option.  The effects of continuing this broken system directly impacts the health care of each Mississippian.
If you currently have insurance:  Continuing the status quo means higher health care costs and greater burdens for you and your family. The costs without reform:
• The Average Premium for a Mississippi family will nearly double from $11,288 to $19,261 by 2019.
• There will be a 13% decrease in the number of employers offering health insurance by 2019.
• Insurance companies will continue to place lifetime limits on the coverage they provide, use annual limits on coverage, and continue to arbitrarily drop coverage.

If you don’t have insurance:  130 Mississippians join your ranks daily!  Without reform:
• The number of uninsured in Mississippi will grow from 566,000 to 657,000 by 2019.
• Uncompensated care in Mississippi will grow from $581 million to $1.2 billion by 2019.

Detractors say Mississippi’s budget can’t afford reform. They are ignoring the coming costs without reform.
• As fewer employers can afford to offer insurance to employees, more Mississippians will look to Medicaid or CHIP for coverage for their children and family.
• Spending on Medicaid and CHIP in Mississippi will grow from 2.7 billion in 2009 to 5 billion by 2019.
• The state will have to foot a larger portion of the bill for uncompensated care at hospitals like UMC.

Meaningful Health Care Reform is at risk. However, this is a defining moment where Americans can prove we are up to solving big challenges. The finish line is close. We urge the House of Representatives to pass the Senate Health Reform Bill and finish the job!

Please take the time to call Congress and let them know that reform is long overdue—it’s time to finally deliver the change Americans have been waiting for.
Call 1-800-828-0498 and tell Congress to pass health reform today.