A recent U.S. survey shows gaps in the health insurance coverage among American adults.
A health insurance survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund nonprofit has shown that among American adults between the ages of 19 and 64, more than one in four did not have coverage at some point in 2011.
Almost 70 percent of those individuals had already been without coverage for over a year by that time. The Commonwealth Fund is considered to be a leading health policy authority. These areas of lacking in health coverage are one of the primary reasons that President Obama pushed so hard for the overhaul of the healthcare system, which was originally signed in 2010 and is slated to be fully effective by 2014.
Nearly 50 million Americans are currently without health insurance.
This number has been steadily increasing, particularly since 2008, when employers started to cut back the benefits that they offer and when they were cutting back jobs altogether. What a great deal of research has found, including that from this most recent survey by the Commonwealth Fund, is that individuals who do not have medical coverage will often resist obtaining the care that they require and that they won’t take part in as many preventive services as they should, such as screenings for cancer.
This study showed that among women between the ages of 40 and 64, almost three out of every four who had health coverage also had a mammogram within the previous couple of years. However, among women in that same age group who were uninsured, 28 percent had received a mammogram within that time span.
This study forecasts a reduction in coverage gaps as a result of the healthcare reforms.
As of 2014, the new healthcare reforms will guarantee that all Americans will have health insurance coverage and that individuals with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage. Furthermore, residents of the United States who are in the lower and moderate income groups will be able to obtain subsidies to help them to gain access to more affordable plans. The final hurdle will be the U.S. Supreme Court, which is currently deciding whether or not this law is constitutional.