HispanicBusiness

The report “A Perfect Storm: The Confluence of Forces Affecting Health Care Coverage” details the coming crisis in health insurance. To access the report online, visit the site of the National Coalition for Health Care at www.nchc.org. As an executive summary, here are a few statistical highlights from the report.•Small-business health premiums rose 12.5 percent in 2001, compared to an overall inflation rate of 3.3 percent.•Workers in small firms pay an average of 34 percent of premiums. Workers in all companies pay an average of 27 percent of premiums.•More than half of temporary workers are uninsured. •About 44 percent of laid-off workers lose coverage for a month or longer.•New security costs will add 3 percent to premium increases.•Between 2001 and 2003, 86 million people in the United States will suffer a gap in coverage.