abstract: 'In 2005, the percentage of Americans with employer-provided health

  insurance fell for the fifth year in a row. Workers and their families

  have been falling into the ranks of the uninsured at alarming rates. The

  downward trend in employer-provided coverage for children also continued

  into 2005. In the previous four years, children were less likely to

  become uninsured as public sector health coverage expanded, but in 2005

  the rate of uninsured children increased. While Medicaid and SCHIP still

  work for many, the government has not picked up coverage for everybody

  who lost insurance. The weakening of this system-notably for children-is

  particularly difficult for workers and their families in a time of

  stagnating incomes. Furthermore, these programs are not designed to

  prevent low-income adults or middle- or high-income families from

  becoming uninsured. Government at the federal and state levels has

  responded to medical inflation with policy changes that reduce public

  insurance eligibility or with proposals to reduce government costs.

  Federal policy proposals to lessen the tax advantage of workplace

  insurance or to encourage a private purchase system could further

  destabilize the employer-provided system. Now is a critical time to

  consider health insurance reform. Several promising solutions could

  increase access to affordable health care. The key is to create large,

  varied, and stable risk pools.'
affiliation: 'Gould, E (Corresponding Author), Econ Policy Inst, 1333 H St,NW, Washington,
  DC 20005 USA.

  Econ Policy Inst, Washington, DC 20005 USA.'
author: Gould, Elise
author-email: egould@epi.org
author_list:
- family: Gould
  given: Elise
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.2190/C285-1547-1L23-R1X5
files: []
issn: 0020-7314
journal: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH SERVICES
language: English
number: '3'
number-of-cited-references: '0'
pages: 441-467
papis_id: d184dd2b607e4826bbf203af556adcaf
ref: Gould2007healthinsurance
times-cited: '2'
title: 'Health insurance eroding for working families: Employer-provided coverage
  declines for fifth consecutive year'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000248902900003
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '0'
volume: '37'
web-of-science-categories: Health Care Sciences \& Services; Health Policy \& Services
year: '2007'