Democracy for Howard County

Health Care Premiums Surpass Minimum Wage Salary

(From The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR)
California's leading nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization)

Santa Monica, CA -- A report released today that found the cost of health insurance for family coverage is now more than the annual salary of a minimum-wage worker is the "signal that out-of-control health insurance profiteering will reduce health care to a commodity that only the wealthy can afford," according to the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR).

"The U.S. is experiencing the health care equivalent of bread lines while HMO profits skyrocket and top executives receive 9-figure golden parachutes. The fact that working families can no longer afford the price of health insurance should be a wake-up call to politicians who have allowed private health insurers to drive the health insurance system into the ground," said Jerry Flanagan of FTCR. "Continued rate increases mark the the beginning of the end of the health care system as we know it because patients won't stand for further cutbacks and employers can no longer shift costs on to workers."

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