Health Care Reform

As Passage of Health Bill Nears, Research Shows New Jobs in Every State


WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–January 20, 2010.  As Congress and the White House are locked in the final negotiations over the health care reform bill, a new analysis finds that the proposed legislation will mean 250,000 to 400,000 new jobs in states across the country.

Crunching the numbers, scholars from Harvard, the University of California and the University of Southern California looked at both the impact of employer health care costs on jobs and the overall impact of the proposed reform on health care costs.

The result, New Jobs Through Better Healthcare from the Center for American Progress (click here to download PDF of report) found 250,000-400,000 new jobs per year over the next ten years.

U.S. Public Interest Research Group broke the numbers down, state-by-state, and found that as many as 43,000 jobs would be created in California, with less but still very significant numbers in every single state in the Union and in the District of Columbia.

“For years, rising costs have made hiring new employees more expensive than it should be, choking employment growth” said U.S. PIRG Health Care Advocate Larry McNeely. “By holding down health care costs, health reform will mean a brighter future for job creation in states across the country.”

With job losses now the central economic issue confronting America, U.S. PIRG’s analysis shows that the health care cost savings the bill will achieve will help businesses add new employees in every state.

“We’ve got to put our country back to work,” said McNeely. “Senators and Representatives in Washington need to know that a vote for health reform is a vote for jobs back home.”

State-by-State and District of Columbia Job Gains

State

Number of Jobs Added (Low Growth Estimate)

Number of Jobs Added (High Growth Estimate)

Alabama

3,800

6,000

Alaska

700

1,200

Arizona

3,600

5,800

Arkansas

2,000

3,200

California

26,900

43,000

Colorado

4,100

6,500

Connecticut

3,600

5,800

Delaware

900

1,400

District of
Columbia

800

1,200

Florida

14,900

23,800

Georgia

6,500

10,400

Hawaii

1,100

1,800

Idaho

1,100

1,700

Illinois

11,300

18,200

Indiana

5,600

9,000

Iowa

2,800

4,400

Kansas

2,600

4,200

Kentucky

3,600

5,800

Louisiana

3,200

5,100

Maine

1,300

2,100

Maryland

5,300

8,500

Massachusetts

6,800

11,000

Michigan

8,300

13,300

Minnesota

5,100

8,100

Mississippi

2,000

3,200

Missouri

4,900

7,800

Montana

800

1,300

Nebraska

1,700

2,700

Nevada

1,900

3,100

New Hampshire

1,300

2,000

New Jersey

8,400

13,400

New Mexico

1,300

2,000

New York

16,200

25,900

North Carolina

7,100

11,400

North Dakota

700

1,100

Ohio

10,700

17,000

Oklahoma

2,800

4,500

Oregon

3,000

4,900

Pennsylvania

11,400

18,300

Rhode Island

1,000

1,600

South Carolina

3,400

5,500

South Dakota

700

1,200

Tennessee

5,000

7,900

Texas

17,300

27,700

Utah

1,800

2,900

Vermont

600

1,000

Virginia

6,600

10,600

Washington

5,600

8,900

West Virginia

1,700

2,700

Wisconsin

5,600

9,000

Wyoming

500

800


Source: uspirg.org


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