Overview

While many Americans are prospering in the best economy in 30 years, national statistics often hide a more somber reality for a large number of working men and women. Even though unemployment is at a historic low, The Commonwealth Fund 1999 National Survey of Workers' Health Insurance finds a significant cross-section of Americans struggling to get the health care they need. Millions of working-age men and women lack health insurance or experience gaps in coverage, resulting in unmet medical needs when sick and an inability to pay medical bills. In an economy in which many middle-income families are stretching their budgets just to meet basic living expenses, the survey finds that adults too often cannot afford to get sick.

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