Millions of Californians lack basic medical insurance

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The Daily Breeze

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Millions of Californians lack basic medical insurance

Health care costs rise 80 percent for those covered by employers. People who buy their own find less coverage.
By Robert Jablon
The Associated Press

More than 6.5 million Californians under age 65 -- including nearly 1 million children -- lack health insurance, according to a report issued today.

Meanwhile, people who provide insurance coverage to their families through policies made available by their employers saw their financial contributions jump nearly 80 percent in recent years, to an average payment of $204.33 a month. Those who buy private insurance sometimes find lower premiums but must accept high deductibles and "skimpy coverage," according to E. Richard Brown, the study's co-author and director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

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The decline was attributed to family members no longer being covered by a worker's health plan. Most of the losses appeared to be because workers lost their jobs or could not afford large increases in family coverage premiums as employers passed on more costs to employees, the study concluded.

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Find this article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/1685376.html

[bkcc]

1. I'm one of 'em. n/t

[question everything]

2. Sorry to hear about that

and it is not as if Medical (is this the correct term?) is doing well, either.