Drew Altman
Drew Altman
coming money obstacles pay
The two obstacles are fundamental disagreements on how to do it and coming up with the money to pay the bill.
care cost families faster five health paying
The cost of health care is going up much faster than people's wages. Families are paying about (on average) $1,000 more now just for health care premiums than they were five years ago.
deal definitely good major problems solution
They (Bush's proposals) are potentially a good deal for many Americans. But they definitely are not the solution to the major problems we face.
bad faster good growth last lower news rate slightly three
There is some good news, I suppose. The rate of growth is slightly lower than last year. The bad news is that's the only good news, because premiums are still going up three times faster than wages.
answering difficult mean time
Beneficiaries are having a difficult time answering the most important question: 'What does it mean for me?'
benefits business dropping far feared figure response widespread
The widespread dropping of drug benefits that some had feared has been averted so far as business figure out what their long-term response would be.
health slow
a slow but perceptible deterioration of our employer-based (health insurance) system.
call health slow
This is a slow but perceptible fraying of our employment-based system, ... what I call the drip, drip, drip (of health coverage).
deal good millions option people
This is an option that can be a real good deal for many, many millions of people, but it's not for everybody, least of all people who are chronically ill and low-income.
attract bigger challenge change costs coverage despite economic economy employers expansion health help insurance longest million nine passing rather remains rising robust uninsured using
More than nine years into our longest economic expansion on record, more employers are now using health insurance coverage to attract and keep workers, and are absorbing rising costs rather than passing them on to their employees. But this may change if the economy cools down, and the bigger challenge that still remains is how to help the 44 million Americans who are uninsured despite the robust economy.
choices hard help seniors
Seniors still are having a hard time. Seniors still aren't really prepared, and they're going to need a lot of help to make the choices they need to make under the law.
care health impact increase lots rate
There are lots of things on the table, but there's nothing that will have a significant impact on the rate of increase of health care costs.
change decide face fence financial later number penalties road stay turns
A substantial number of beneficiaries are already enrolled, but a lot turns on what those who are on the fence decide to do between now and May 15. If they stay out for now, some could face financial penalties down the road if they later change their mind.
answer critical figure mean question test web whether works
It's just too complicated for them to get it from a brochure, or a Web site, or to answer the critical question of, 'What does this mean for me?' ... Unfortunately, it's going to take a real world test for us to figure out whether this works or doesn't work.