Washington, D.C., September 13, 2011
– “According to data
released today by the U.S. Census Bureau on income, poverty and health
insurance coverage, 49.9 million Americans are uninsured, which increased slightly
from 49 million in 2009.
“Too many
Americans lacked health insurance. It’s a tragic situation exacerbated by slow
economic growth, a high rate of unemployment and a broken health system that is
still not meeting the health needs of our nation. APHA is also deeply concerned
about the alarming decline of working Americans with employer-based health
insurance. According to new data, 55.3 percent receive coverage through their
employer, down from 56.1 percent in 2009.
“Since the
Affordable Care Act was enacted, we’ve made tremendous progress in improving
the delivery and financing of health services in the United States. And thanks
to this historic piece of legislation we’ve already seen countless Americans
benefit from a number of lifesaving provisions already implemented, including a
ban on excluding coverage due to a pre-existing condition as well as a
requirement that all health plans must allow children to remain on their
parents' plans until age 26. Yet, with 49.9 million lacking access to quality, affordable
care, we still find ourselves in a dire situation.
“On behalf
of the entire public health community, APHA calls on Congress to fully implement
and fund the main public health and coverage provisions included in the Affordable
Care Act that take effect in 2014.“