Have you heard the news? A study released by Families USA found that the number of uninsureds is probably higher than most people think — almost 75 million, twice as high as previously estimated!

The study, which examined Census Bureau surveys, found that 74.7 million Americans were uninsured at some point over the past two years. According to a March 5 article in USA Today about the study, “Typically, the number of uninsured Americans is reported at about 41 million — those without health insurance for all of 2001. That was up from 2000 after dropping for two years. But the figure is much larger when a longer time span is examined and when people who are uninsured for only a fraction of the period are counted.”

Another study, conducted jointly by the Kaiser Family Foundation and consulting firm Hewitt Associates, interviewed 435 large private-sector firms, which collectively have 7.4 million employees and 3.3 million retirees. Twenty-two percent of the employers surveyed said they are likely to eliminate health coverage for future retirees within the next three years.

Thirteen percent said they had already terminated benefits for future retirees in the last two years. As Tricia Neuman, vice president and director of the Medicare Policy Project for the Kaiser Family Foundation, stated, “Working men and women cannot count on retiring with the same employer health benefits offered to many in their parents’ generation.”

What these studies mean to us in the Branch Offices is our prosperity is guaranteed well into the future, in both the Underage and Senior markets. For the uninsured, UA’s portfolio of basic and supplemental health products is a desirable and beneficial alternative to enormous premiums or going without coverage. For increasing numbers of Seniors who are not offered retiree benefits, UA’s ProCare product line eases the expense of traditional Medicare. These are trends not expected to change without a radical overhaul of healthcare. For today and tomorrow — it’s a great time to be with United American!