Just three years ago, we reached the lowest uninsured rate in our history. Now, some studies estimate that our uninsured population could increase by 35-40 percent over the next 10 years, a magnitude of change that is truly hard to imagine. To simply regain the coverage environment that we had would require major reversals of recent federal policies. In the short run, such changes are highly unlikely.
Widespread coverage losses will affect communities across America. People will suffer from treatable illnesses, and some will die. More families will struggle to pay medical bills. The health and economic impacts will be greatest for those losing coverage, but, ultimately, they will affect everyone, and our country will suffer for it. We cannot and will not reach our potential as a nation if millions lack access to healthcare. Achieving universal coverage will not be easy. It will require many tradeoffs and difficult choices. But this must be our north star.
The above is an excerpt of an op-ed originally published in The Contrarian.
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