Prescriptions for the U.S. Health Care System

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The number of uninsured Americans rose from 31 million in 1987 (13 percent of the population) to 46.6 million in 2005 (16 percent). During that time period, the U.S. population grew from 242 million to 296 million. Lindsay Mangum, NPR hide caption

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Lindsay Mangum, NPR

The number of uninsured Americans rose from 31 million in 1987 (13 percent of the population) to 46.6 million in 2005 (16 percent). During that time period, the U.S. population grew from 242 million to 296 million.

Lindsay Mangum, NPR

A new plan proposed by a coalition of big businesses is designed to make sure everyone in the United States is insured. Several state governments are introducing their own health plans, but some say these plans will only work with an overhaul at the national level. What can be done to help America's 45 million uninsured?

Karen Pollitz, project director, Health Policy Institute, Georgetown University; research professor

Chris Lischewski, member, Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform; president and chief executive officer, Bumble Bee Foods