A review of data on the U.S. health sector: summer 2005.

This report presents information on the state of the U.S. health sector in late summer 2005. It includes data on the uninsured and underinsured and their access to health care, on socioeconomic inequalities in health care, and on the rising costs of health insurance. It also presents information on the role of corporate money in health and health care, focusing on the pharmaceutical and hospital industries. The authors include an update on Medicare HMOs and the prescription drug bill, the results of some recent public opinion polls on health care, and some international comparisons of health systems. The article ends with recent data on health (medical) savings accounts and high-deductible insurance plans.