Brooklyn's Progress
January 2003

More than 41 million Americans, including three million New Yorkers are living without health insurance coverage—that’s almost one in every seven people—and the number is growing. With health care costs rising, even more Americans are likely to become uninsured as employees and employers increasingly are unable to afford coverage.

Decisions about health care benefits are often agonizing for business owners. Approximately half of all people without health insurance work for businesses with less than 99 employees. According to recent surveys, many of these small firms will face annual premium increases of at least 20 percent over the next two years. Some of them are expected to drop coverage altogether, and some will increase the share of insurance premiums their employees must pay. As a result, many workers may be forced to drop coverage because they cannot pay the additional cost.  

Former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter are helping to raise awareness about the plight of the uninsured and to encourage Americans to find solutions. They are co-chairing Cover the Uninsured Week, a weeklong series of national and local events being held from March 10 to March 16, 2003, in communities across the nation.

Organizers, including The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a diverse group of national organizations, are planning health fairs, town hall meetings, campus discussions, interfaith events and more to help people learn about the issue, find local resources and share their stories.   Within the business community, national partners include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable.

In New York City, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is member of the coalition organizing events throughout the city.

The Covering the Uninsured Week activities in Brooklyn will begin at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 10th with a special Town Hall Meeting hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon Street). The meeting is free but space is limited, so please RSVP by phone, (718) 802-3531, or online (www.iBrooklyn.com/CTUW).

To learn more about Cover the Uninsured Week, resources for the uninsured, the impact the issue has on all Americans, and what you can do, go to http://www.covertheuninsured.org/ or contact Mark Kessler at mkessler@brooklynchamber.com.