Actually, it does! New research from the Commonwealth Fund  confirms that no matter where Americans get their health coverage, they delay care because of costs and that can lead to people getting sicker. “Fear of incurring health care expenses they can’t afford is endangering the health of many Americans, even those who have insurance. More than half of adults with employer coverage who reported they or a family member had delayed or skipped getting needed care because of costs said a health problem had gotten worse as a result.”

About 60 percent or more of those in marketplace or individual-market plans, Medicaid, or Medicare said a health condition worsened because of a cost-related delay or skipped care. And if you live in rural Oregon, access to care is even more acute. On average, rural Americans travel over 22 miles for basic health care services. For specialty services, the distance doubles to 40 miles or more.

With statistics like these, Oregon has the ammunition it needs to move forward in creating a simplified healthcare system. One driven by patient care, not care for profits.  Health reform ally, Warren George, is a businessman who served on the (SB770) Task Force on Universal Health Care. He has presented to many organizations on a myriad of topics related to the healthcare crisis. Warren recently presented at PNHP and  you can view his presentation by clicking here. 

With a universal simplified healthcare system, Oregonians would have no co pays or outrageous deductibles to contend with. Just care, when you need it at a price you can afford.