Insurers now back covering all, but oppose Democrats' call for competing fed plan
Columbus Dispatch
April 20, 2009

WASHINGTON -- When it comes to the U.S. health-care system, just about everyone seems to agree on two things: It costs too much, and too many people lack coverage.

The nation is expected to spend $2.5 trillion on health care this year. That works out to $8,160 per person, or more than four times the per-person figure of $1,952 in 1970, adjusted for inflation. The current figure is 17 percent of the gross domestic product, up from 7 percent in 1970, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Nearly 50 million Americans lack health insurance, a number that might rise as recession-battered companies shed jobs and employee health policies. Continue.