We all intuitively know communities are better off when residents have access to health care coverage and a new report sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provides us with even more data to back up that point.

The report found that a high rate of uninsurance in a community has a spillover effect for those who were insured.  They were impacted by the restriction of access to unprofitable services, shortened hours and a lower quality of care for all patients, whether insured or uninsured. Here are some of the key findings of the report:

• Privately insured, working-age persons who resided in areas with a high rate of uninsurance were less likely than their peers in areas with a low uninsurance rate to have a usual source of care or an office-based visit.
• Privately insured persons in areas with a high uninsurance rate were also more likely to report having difficulty getting needed care, and were less satisfied with their care. 
• Seniors with Medicare coverage who resided in areas with a high rate of uninsurance were more likely than their counterparts in areas with a low uninsurance rate to report difficulty getting needed care, as well as unmet needs for prescription drugs.
• Seniors in high uninsurance rate areas also reported lower satisfaction with their care and rated their care less favorably.

The results of this study suggest that the high rate of uninsurance in our nation not only impacts those who can’t find affordable coverage, it impacts everyone. For me, this report underscores the fact that “we are all in it together” and the sooner that we make the promise of the Affordable Care Act a reality for all the uninsured and underinsured members of our society, the better off all of us will be.