| NH Citizens Alliance |
| Over thirty years of working for social, economic, and political justice for all |
| New Hampshire Citizens Alliance 4 Park Street, Suite 304 Concord, NH 03301 603-225-2097 |
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We are passionate about passing real health care reform
that provides quality, affordable health care every
American can count on. For more than a decade we have
been working to gain access to quality, affordable health
care for all residents of our state by educating elected
officials and educating the public. We have held
numerous information sessions all across the state to
help get our message out so that the voices of New
Hampshire residents can be heard in the halls of Congress.
With 45 million people across the country without health
insurance and living one accident or sickness away from
financial ruin, the urgency to enact effective health care reforms has never been greater.
At the state level, we are a member of NH Voices for Health, a network of health advocacy
organizations devoted to improving quality, cost, and access to health care in the Granite
State.
NHCA is fighting for health care reform that provides quality, affordable care to all
Americans. We support national health care reform that includes:
Access to quality, affordable health care is a basic human right, and it's time we started
treating it that way.
Here's a glimpse at where NH is in terms of upholding its citizens' right to health care.
In New Hampshire:
There are approximately 279,000
people under age 65 who are uninsured
or go at least part of the year without
health insurance. That is 24.1% of the
NH population under age 65, many of
whom are children.
Of those that go at least part of the year
without any health insurance 84.9 % of them are working people. Most are either not offered
health insurance by their employers or are ineligible for coverage. Most cannot afford to
purchase health insurance for their families - insurance that could cost them $1,000 per
month or more. People lacking health insurance live throughout New Hampshire, but are
more densely clustered in the north and central regions of the state and in the urban centers
such as Concord, Manchester, and Portsmouth. Minorities are also disproportionately
without health insurance; for example, 61% of Hispanics went at least part of the year without
health insurance. White Granite Staters are still the largest group without health insurance
(87.9% of those without health insurance at least part of the year are white), so this is a
problem that is affecting everyone.
(Families USA Report, March 2009)
As the economy continues to worsen and health insurance premiums skyrocket (by
approximately 15 percent per year), the number of the uninsured will increase.
Mounting health insurance premiums also
leads to the insidious problem of "under-
insurance," (people have insurance but that
insurance doesn't cover all of their needs).
This happens when employers downgrade
benefits to offset the cost of increasing
premiums or when people can only afford
catastrophic coverage when purchasing
insurance on their own. Important and
effective elements of quality health care -
such as mental health services, treatment for alcohol/drug addiction, prescription drug
benefits - are often left out of these coverage equations as individuals and employers attempt
to keep insurance premiums affordable.
Individuals who lack health insurance are:
-Three times more likely to die in the hospital
-More likely to have hospital or emergency room visits that could have been avoided
-More likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have avoided inpatient care such as
pneumonia and uncontrolled diabetes
-More likely to report that they did not receive care for a serious health condition (20 percent
versus 3 percent of insured) or postpone care for serious problems (28 percent versus 5
percent)
-Four times more likely to have unmet health needs if they are an adolescent between the ages
of 10 and 18
-Less likely to have routine checkups or regular health screenings. Insured adults are at least
50 percent more likely to have had various preventive exams in the past year than uninsured
adults
Read the Reports
Listed below are some reports that convey a good deal of pertinent information on current
health care and health care reform.
Report on the Current Rate of Uninsured People in NH
Report for NH Congressional District 1 (Shea-Porter)
Report for NH Congressional District 2 (Hodes)
Report on Health Insurance Competition in NH
Comparison of the Senate HELP Bill, the House Bill, and the Senate Finance Committee Bill
with Regard to Racial/Ethnic Disparities
that provides quality, affordable health care every
American can count on. For more than a decade we have
been working to gain access to quality, affordable health
care for all residents of our state by educating elected
officials and educating the public. We have held
numerous information sessions all across the state to
help get our message out so that the voices of New
Hampshire residents can be heard in the halls of Congress.
With 45 million people across the country without health
insurance and living one accident or sickness away from
financial ruin, the urgency to enact effective health care reforms has never been greater.
At the state level, we are a member of NH Voices for Health, a network of health advocacy
organizations devoted to improving quality, cost, and access to health care in the Granite
State.
NHCA is fighting for health care reform that provides quality, affordable care to all
Americans. We support national health care reform that includes:
- Coverage you can afford
- Comprehensive benefits you can count on
- Choice of private or public health insurance plans
- Equal access to quality care
Access to quality, affordable health care is a basic human right, and it's time we started
treating it that way.
Here's a glimpse at where NH is in terms of upholding its citizens' right to health care.
In New Hampshire:
There are approximately 279,000
people under age 65 who are uninsured
or go at least part of the year without
health insurance. That is 24.1% of the
NH population under age 65, many of
whom are children.
Of those that go at least part of the year
without any health insurance 84.9 % of them are working people. Most are either not offered
health insurance by their employers or are ineligible for coverage. Most cannot afford to
purchase health insurance for their families - insurance that could cost them $1,000 per
month or more. People lacking health insurance live throughout New Hampshire, but are
more densely clustered in the north and central regions of the state and in the urban centers
such as Concord, Manchester, and Portsmouth. Minorities are also disproportionately
without health insurance; for example, 61% of Hispanics went at least part of the year without
health insurance. White Granite Staters are still the largest group without health insurance
(87.9% of those without health insurance at least part of the year are white), so this is a
problem that is affecting everyone.
(Families USA Report, March 2009)
As the economy continues to worsen and health insurance premiums skyrocket (by
approximately 15 percent per year), the number of the uninsured will increase.
Mounting health insurance premiums also
leads to the insidious problem of "under-
insurance," (people have insurance but that
insurance doesn't cover all of their needs).
This happens when employers downgrade
benefits to offset the cost of increasing
premiums or when people can only afford
catastrophic coverage when purchasing
insurance on their own. Important and
effective elements of quality health care -
such as mental health services, treatment for alcohol/drug addiction, prescription drug
benefits - are often left out of these coverage equations as individuals and employers attempt
to keep insurance premiums affordable.
Individuals who lack health insurance are:
-Three times more likely to die in the hospital
-More likely to have hospital or emergency room visits that could have been avoided
-More likely to be hospitalized for conditions that could have avoided inpatient care such as
pneumonia and uncontrolled diabetes
-More likely to report that they did not receive care for a serious health condition (20 percent
versus 3 percent of insured) or postpone care for serious problems (28 percent versus 5
percent)
-Four times more likely to have unmet health needs if they are an adolescent between the ages
of 10 and 18
-Less likely to have routine checkups or regular health screenings. Insured adults are at least
50 percent more likely to have had various preventive exams in the past year than uninsured
adults
Read the Reports
Listed below are some reports that convey a good deal of pertinent information on current
health care and health care reform.
Report on the Current Rate of Uninsured People in NH
Report for NH Congressional District 1 (Shea-Porter)
Report for NH Congressional District 2 (Hodes)
Report on Health Insurance Competition in NH
Comparison of the Senate HELP Bill, the House Bill, and the Senate Finance Committee Bill
with Regard to Racial/Ethnic Disparities
