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 |
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