Health care is currently a social issue in southern California because many of our grocery stores are holding a strike. I never thought about the issues of people not having healthier because it isn't really an issue I have had to deal with personally. I am the daughter of a doctor,.
(who is passed away) and my mother is a nurse. I am fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to always have had health care coverage in my life. Now that my mother is working for someone other than my father I do hear from her how much health insurance is and how her boss is kind enough to cover me under her insurance. However most people are not as fortunate as I am to have health insurance. I realized this when a woman who works at Vons grocery store came in and spoke to our class regarding her situation and the reason so many employees are striking. I do know health insurance is expensive and that most employers do not provide health insurance unless you are a full time employee and have been working a certain length of time. Not everyone can work full time, while balancing families and even school. People should not be punished by not being provided with health care for not working 40 hours a week.
After researching the costs of insurance it appears that costs are not falling but rising. According to an article by CNN money, " Premiums for employer- sponsored health insurance increased almost 14 percent between spring 2002 and spring 2003-- the highest increase since 1990." This statistic was according to a survey released by Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research Educational Trust. Many employers do pay atleast ¾ of their employees insurance. With corporations like Vons and Albertsons they have thousands of employees they have to provide insurance for, unlike smaller companies. Therefore they should come up with a bargain with s specific health care provider and make different health packages depending upon what the individuals needs may be.