Health Insurance Coverage
Nearly 68 percent of all Americans were covered by a private insurance plan during 2006 – and another 27 percent received medical coverage through government programs.
Sixty percent of employers currently offer health benefits to their employees, a trend that has been stable since 2003. In the same period, the growth rate in health insurance premiums has been cut by more than half, from 13.9 percent in 2003 to 6 percent in 2006.
Companies continue to look for ways to stretch their healthcare dollars and are instituting a variety of cost-saving strategies. For example, many are adopting programs to change employee behavior and perceptions to better control healthcare costs such as promoting generic drug utilization, disease management programs and preventive health and behavior programs.
While growing in overall numbers, the uninsured rate remains at about 15.8 percent. Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are joining other industry leaders in pursuing public-private sector programs to extend health coverage to uninsured Americans.
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