This from a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research Educational Trust:
“The average cost of health insurance for a family of four has soared past $10,800 — exceeding the annual income of a minimum-wage earner, according to a survey released Wednesday.”
Ouch. Even for a middle class family, 10K is a chunk of change. Of course, most middle class families have that amount paid by their employer(s), but that may change.
It is clear that we have an obligation to the sick:
And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple.(D & C 52:40)
But how do we enact that when it costs 2.5K per person per year? I have no idea.
UPDATE: I was about to post this when I realized how terribly America-centric it is. Yes, I know that lack of a few pennies’ worth of Vitamin A causes tens of millions of cases of blindness each year (see here).
SIDENOTE: What’s up with insurers covering Viagra, anyway?