Washington, DC - {Congressman Ed Towns (D-Brooklyn) pointed to a new report today documenting the drop in employer based health insurance nationwide as more evidence that the misguided policies of the current Administration and the Republican led Congress are not working.  Towns has called on the Republican leadership to put partisanship aside and move quickly to pass legislation that would lower health care costs for working families.

"We know that families without basic health care coverage are less likely to seek early or preventative treatment for their medical conditions," said Rep. Towns.  "Instead, they wait to get help, often at an emergency room, when their ailment is dire.  This is obviously not
good for them or our hospitals that are trying to deal with overcrowded ERs."
  
The report by the Economic Policy Institute shows that 3.8 million Americans have lost employer-provided health insurance since January 2001.  Many of these individuals lost their health insurance when they lost their jobs, some lost coverage when their employers stopped providing health insurance, and some lost coverage because they could no
longer afford to pay their share of the cost.

“This is another reminder that Republican economic policies are hurting middle class families in Brooklyn and across the country,” said Rep. Towns.  “With a more than 55% increase in health insurance premiums in New York over the past four years, it’s no surprise that large numbers of people have lost their health insurance.”

"Middle class families are working harder than ever to achieve financial security, and tax cuts for the wealthiest millionaires are not going to make it any easier," continued Rep. Towns.  "Americans deserve a change in direction and a chance to build a stronger future for their families."

Rep. Towns says he supports legislation to lower the cost of health insurance for small businesses through a new tax credit, extend health insurance coverage to millions of parents through Medicaid and CHIP, and allow older Americans without health insurance to buy into Medicare. 

Towns notes that two-thirds of those who lost their employer based coverage were in the middle class, with those with incomes between $20,000 and $25,000 seeing the sharpest drop in coverage.  "These are the folks who get hit the hardest because when they lose their employer based health insurance, they still make too much money to fall back on a

government supported health insurance program, and unfortunately, they are more like to fall into the ranks of the uninsured," he said.

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