America has become a smaller place in which to live because of great advancements in technology. Each person in the national community is linked to his neighbor and is affected by his circumstances. Man is not only an independent individual, but is also inter-dependent and part of the group. The neighbor-to-neighbor relationship has caused many public issues to arise. Where there has been productive solutions found for some health issues, other issues remain to be resolved. Health care has been an important public issue debated for years, without a successful resolution.
Census figures indicate a progressive rise in the number of the uninsured over the decade of the nineties. Following that basic trend, the new millennium opens with an emergency status in health care. Many factors were involved in reaching that level. They expand from the number of unemployed Americans to the high cost of prescription drugs. The number of uninsured Americans, the quality of care for the minority and homeless population, and the ever-increasing cost of health care indicates that a workable sufficient solution is needed now.
The large number of layoffs, downsizing, and company closure has added thousands of Americans to the unemployment role. Companies are forced to cut or limit employee benefits to meet economic demands. According to the article, Number of Americans without insurance predicted to grow, the National Academy of Sciences reports that, "13.6 million of the uninsured work for employers that do not offer health insurance. Individual purchased coverage may be prohibitively costly" (Number of Americans 3). Some individuals are forced to work multiple jobs. Most often, these are minimum wage employees. They lack company benefits and cannot afford the out of pocket cost for coverage. Two income families may also lack basic healthcare. The report also states that, "80 percent of uninsured children and adults under 65 live in working families.