Family Perspective

his report, the third of the Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance, examines the impacts on America’s families of not having health insurance for all their members. On the basis of a literature review this report provides new analyses of the consequences of a lack of insurance within families and the effects on the health of children and pregnant women. The Committee looks at the phenomenon of uninsurance from the perspective of the family, which is important for several reasons:
  • The health of one family member can affect the health and well-being of the family as a whole. For example, an uninsured parent may delay seeking care and suffer sufficiently debilitating ill health that it is difficult to continue working or caring for children. Even if there is only one uninsured member, if that person has a serious illness or accident, it could generate medical bills that threaten the economic stability of the whole family.

  • Publicly financed health insurance usually covers individuals. Examining the complicating effects on families broadens the perspective of public policy debate.

  • Within the family, parents make decisions for their children about seeking care. Whether and how they use the health system for themselves may affect whether their children receive needed, timely care.

  • A family’s health care and insurance needs change over time as its members grow up and mature. Many common aging and family transitions, such as retiring after a lifetime of work, can affect coverage of individual members and the whole family.

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