10 Quotes by Larry Levitt

Most people who are eligible for COBRA don't take it. About 20 percent of eligible people use it. The other 80 percent buy on the individual market, or are uninsured.

It doesn't last forever, and $600 or $700 a month is a lot to pay when someone has lost their income.

I think for the industry, it is also the most significant because it has the potential -- if litigation gets out of control -- to really increase costs a lot.

With our robust economy, American workers are finally seeing some improvement in the health benefits they receive. But low-wage employees still face enormous barriers to getting health insurance.

Once you start to become the butt of Jay Leno's jokes, ... you know you are in trouble.

As long as the growth in health insurance premiums far outpaces the growth in wages, the erosion in the workplace will continue.

In many ways what's been happening in the economy hits them (working poor families) the worst. Those with higher incomes are more likely to have employer-provided insurance. And many lower-income (people) have Medicaid to fall back. For that in-between group, there's nothing.

If you have even a mild health condition, your premium could be surcharged, or you could be denied coverage entirely. If you have a serious illness, rest assured that you're going to be denied. But if you have a mild condition, even something like hay fever, you may face limitations or even denial.

In 2005, health insurance premiums rose by 9.2 percent, which was three times the increase in wages. Certainly, there are no signs of that abating. It's very likely that in 2006, health care costs will continue to squeeze out wage increases.