Answering The Question – Who Can Afford Their Health Services?

Can Americans afford the health care services they need? That question is a big part of the current debate – from premium rates under the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to the proposed provisions in the recently released health care bill from the U.S. Senate. The answer depends on who you are talking about and how you frame the question. But I want to share some statistics that can help us to think about the question.

In the U.S., the broad population is generally covered by two systems – one for non-disabled people under 65 and the . . .