Measles cases in the U.S. jumped last week, with 90 new confirmed cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday. The global statistics are also grim, with a 300% increase in preliminary data for the first 3 months of this year compared with last year.
Why it matters: The extremely contagious virus, for which there is a safe and effective vaccine, shows no signs of slowing despite efforts by public health authorities to combat the spread of misinformation with strong measures. International health officials are becoming increasingly concerned about simultaneous, growing outbreaks in multiple countries.
There has been appropriate handwringing since 2010 about the affordability of Affordable Care Act plans in the marketplaces. But new data show that health insurance is decidedly less affordable for lower income people who get coverage at work than for their counterparts with similar incomes in the marketplaces.
Why it matters: It’s another example of how, when we focus so much on the ACA markets, we lose sight of problems in the employer-based health system where far more people get their coverage. For lower-wage workers, their coverage is decidedly worse than ACA coverage is.
Medicare for All could end up costing employers less than the current employer-sponsored health insurance system does, depending on how it's structured.
Yes, but: That certainly doesn't mean employers are on board, partially because other concerns — like access to health care and the competitive advantage that generous benefits can create — may outweigh cost and convenience.
