The recession has forced more than 7 million people out of jobs, and millions more are now under-employed. Many of those workers and their families have lost their health insurance, and others who still work full time have also seen their health care benefits eliminated or cut back.
In May and June of this year, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured sent a team of researchers to four American cities, including Beloit, to learn more about the effect of the recession on health care coverage and health itself. In each community they interviewed employers and safety net providers, and also conducted focus groups with people who had lost their jobs.
Based on those focus groups and interviews, Kaiser prepared a new report, “Rising Health Pressures in an Economic Recession.” It is accompanied by a 9-minute video, “On the Edge: Health Care in the Recession,” which is a powerful statement about the severe strains on the health care system and on the recently unemployed as a consequence of the recession.
Four key findings emerged from the study:
• The recession highlights wide gaps in the nation’s health care system.
• The uninsured and under-insured delay and forgo important health care due to cost.
• More and better efforts are needed to connect families with assistance programs.
• The safety-net is critical but cannot fill the coverage gaps.
The video could help enrich community discussions on health reform. The section about Beloit emphasizes the dramatic increase in uncompensated care being provided and the degree to which people affected by the recession are putting off needed health care until problems become severe. Both of these trends contribute to the skyrocketing cost of health insurance premiums. This underscores the importance of maintaining Wisconsin’s excellent and cost-effective health care safety net, and the need to promote outreach activities geared to families who are newly eligible for health coverage through BadgerCare Plus but may not know that they qualify or how to apply.
To obtain a copy of the DVD, contact Robin Sidel of the Kaiser Family Foundation communications staff.