Middle class losing health coverage faster than poor

Employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) has long been the mainstay of health coverage for most middle class American families. But a new report from the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has found that this class of Americans is losing its health coverage faster than any other income group. Unlike low-income earners, middle class Americans don’t have the safety net of a government program like Medicaid. Secondly, the cost of an independent policy is just too high; and in some states, people are denied coverage because of pre-existing ailments.

Brian Quinn, Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, joins us to talk about the study. And Dr. Lelin Chao is with Baltimore’s People’s Community Health Centers. Her organization runs a network of clinics in Baltimore that provide low-cost medical services to the uninsured.