Sacramento Business Journal 1:53 PM PDT Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Job-based health insurance continues to drop despite a strong economy, according to a recent report by the University of California Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research.
The State of Health Insurance in California: Findings from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey found that the reduction in employer-offered insurance coverage from 2001 to 2005 affected 678,000 Californians. The report also found in 2005:
80 percent of uninsured, employed Californians don't have access to affordable, job-based insurance;
55 percent of uninsured, employed Californians worked for employers not offering health insurance;
20 percent of uninsured, employed Californians were not eligible for their employers' health benefits;
84 percent of uninsured Californians are people with jobs and their families;
4.2 million uninsured Californians are full-time employees and their families.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was at UCLA when the report was released, calling for healthcare reform. "This research underscores everything we have been talking about. Coverage is eroding because costs are out of control for businesses and workers, making it harder for them to compete," he said. "All this points out once again that we need comprehensive healthcare reform that insures everyone and guarantees all Californians have access to affordable and reliable care."
The Senate Health Committee on Wednesday held a hearing on Assembly Bill 8, bipartisan healthcare reform.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2007/07/09/daily28.html
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