Health Affairs

Posting date: October 23, 2002

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Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.w2.372
Copyright © 2003 by Project HOPE

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Perspective: Ensuring Health Security: Is The Individual Market Ready for Prime Time?

Karen Pollitz ^1* Richard Sorian ²

¹ Karen Pollitz is project director at the Institute for Health Care Research and Policy, Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
² Richard Sorian is a senior researcher and director of public affairs at the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Proposals to expand coverage of the uninsured through federal tax credits rely heavily on the individual insurance market. Yet the current market makes coverage less accessible, less affordable, and inadequate to meet the needs of many people without insurance, especially those who have modest incomes or are in less-than-perfect health. States' efforts to regulate the individual market can improve access for the vulnerable but, absent subsidies, may place coverage out of reach for the young and healthy. A combination of subsidies and market reforms could make insurance available to millions of Americans.

Key Words: Insurance Coverage, Access To Care, Health Reform

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