A little tidbit about Healthcare in the USA.

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Most Americans have health insurance through their employers. But, employment is no longer a guarantee of health insurance coverage. Due to rising health insurance premiums, many small employers cannot afford to offer health benefits. Companies that do offer health insurance, often require employees to contribute a larger share toward their coverage. As a result, an increasing number of Americans have opted not to take advantage of job-based health insurance because they cannot afford it. Who are the uninsured * Approximately 46 million Americans, or 15.7 percent of the population, were without health insurance in 2004 (the latest government data available). * The number of uninsured rose 800,000 between 2003 and 2004 and has increased by 6 million since 2000. * The increase in the number of uninsured in 2004 was focused among working age adults. The percentage of working adults (18 to 64) who had no health coverage climbed from 18.6 percent in 2003 to 19.0 percent in 2004. An increase of over 750,000 in 2004. * In 2004, 27 million workers were uninsured because not all businesses offer health benefits, not all workers qualify for coverage and many employees cannot afford their share of the health insurance premium even when coverage is at their fingertips. * The number of uninsured children in 2004 was 8.3 million - or 11.2 percent of all children in the U.S.