Collins Sara R, Davis Karen, Doty Michelle M, Ho Alice
The Commonwealth Fund, USA.
Issue Brief (Commonw Fund). 2004 Oct(788):1-16.
Employer-based health insurance provides the majority of U.S. workers with access to health care and protection against devastating financial losses. Millions of workers, however, do not receive health benefits from their employers, and few sources of affordable coverage exist outside the employer-based system. This study, based on data from the Commonwealth Fund Biennial Health Insurance Survey, finds a deep divide in the U.S. labor force and an urgent need for expanding access to comprehensive and affordable coverage to working Americans and their families. According to the authors, higher-wage workers are more likely than their lower-paid counterparts to have health insurance and health-related benefits, such as paid sick leave, and to use preventive care services. Low-wage workers, meanwhile, are much more likely to forgo needed health care because of cost and to report problems paying medical bills.
基于雇主的医疗保险为大多数美国工人提供了获得医疗保健的机会，并保护他们免受毁灭性的经济损失。然而，数以百万计的工人没有从雇主那里获得健康福利，而且在基于雇主的体系之外，几乎没有负担得起的保险来源。这项基于联邦基金两年一次的医疗保险调查数据的研究发现，美国劳动力中存在严重分化，迫切需要扩大美国在职人员及其家庭获得全面且负担得起的保险的机会。根据作者的说法，高收入工人比低收入同行更有可能拥有医疗保险和与健康相关的福利，如带薪病假，并使用预防性医疗服务。与此同时，低薪工人因费用问题更有可能放弃所需的医疗保健，并报告支付医疗账单方面的问题。
