by Heather Pitre, WHF Events and Communications Specialist
An article in the Seattle Times today reported that 1 in 7 people in Washington State are currently uninsured. That number is expected to reach 1 million by the end of the year. Approximately 14.5 percent of Washington residents have no coverage, and many more are underinsured. Nearly 30 percent of people aged 18 to 34 have no health coverage, and they make up almost half of the state's uninsured.
Many people who are working cannot afford health insurance coverage. Many small businesses cannot afford it for their employees. And, health care costs continue to rise at astronomical rates. Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler doesn't expect things to improve any time soon. "In two more years, it's going to be just the same," Kreidler said in the Times article. "We know that we're going to have more uninsured and more people struggling to hold onto what they have. We're going to have to do something different."
Doing things differently is what we do best at the Washington Health Foundation. Improving health for the people of Washington has been our mission for the past 20 years. Insuring for prevention is one of our key measures in our efforts to make Washington the healthiest state in the nation. Helping people is at the heart of what we do. We're helping the uninsured, the underinsured, and those that want more from their benefits and their brokers, with our Personal Health Advocates service. Call us today at 1-855-WA-HEALTH.
Comments