Last week, the White House launched its "Health Reform By The Numbers" awareness campaign. Each day, the White House gives us one more reason why we can’t afford to put off comprehensive health reform. What exactly do these numbers mean?
50/50. If you’re an American under the age of 65, there’s approximately a 50/50 chance that you will find yourself without coverage at some point over the next ten years.
1. One in every six dollars in the U.S. economy is spent on health care now, and in the absence of reform, in 30 years, one out of every three dollars will be spent on health care.
625. The number of people who lost their health insurance each hour in 2009.
8. The number of people who are denied coverage, charged a higher rate or discriminated against due to a pre-existing medical condition. It's also the number of lobbyists hired for each member of Congress in 2009 to influence the health reform debate.
$1,115. The average premium, in dollars, for employer-sponsored family coverage per month in 2009.
41. The percentage of adults under the age of 65 who accumulated medical debt, had difficulty paying medical bills, or struggled with both during a recent one-year period.
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