Status quo won't work on health care

I enjoyed David Broder's column wherein he discussed the President's speech on health care reform before a joint session of Congress. Mr. Broder pointed out that the President's message has evolved from "change you can believe in" to "change you need not fear." Sadly, this seems true.

What our leaders should be pointing out is that we have plenty to fear from the status quo. Health insurance costs have risen 5 percent in the past year, while general inflation is negative 1.5 percent. According to research published by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the American Hospital Association, family insurance premiums for employer-provided insurance now cost $13,375 annually, with workers paying an average share of $3,515 and employers paying $9,860.

According to the study, premiums have jumped 131 percent during the past decade. That is 3 times the rise in workers' wages and 4 times general inflation. Consider: 42 percent of companies plan to raise the premium to employees, 36 percent plan to increase the deductible amounts, 39 percent plan to increase the office visit copays, and 37 percent plan to increase prescription costs.

Only 2 percent of firms are very likely to drop coverage completely, and 6 percent are somewhat likely to drop coverage. Projecting that 2 percent figure out over 10 years, around 17 percent (1 in 6), of those with company-sponsored health insurance today will be losing their insurance and either purchasing their own plan or losing coverage completely.

That's why a plan that looks like Medicare for all, or a mechanism to use competition and risk-spreading to move costs downward, is so important for Americans. Health insurance status quo is a poor option.

David Troland

Arlington Heights