Private Health Insurance: Impact of Premium Increases on the Number of CoveredIndividuals Is Uncertain

摘要

The report relates to information on the relationship between the amount chargedfor private health insurance and the number of insured individuals. We analyzed the basis for a widely cited statistic from the Lewin Group, a private research and consulting organization, that the number of insured individuals would fall by 400,000 for every 1-percent increase in health insurance premiums. To conduct the study, we reviewed relevant published research. We also evaluated the applicability of the Lewin Group's estimates given the data, methods, and assumptions it used to produce its estimates. We performed our work between May 1998 and June 1998 in accordance with generaly accepted government auditing standards.