Contact: Jenn Hatch, (860) 233-7554 Gary Kalman
202-546-9707 x311
As Passage of Health Bill Nears, New Estimates of State by State Job Gains From Lower Premiums
HARTFORD – As Congress and the White House are locked in the final negotiations over the health care reform bill, a new analysis from the consumer group the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group finds that the legislation will mean 3,600 to 5,800 more jobs in Connecticut. With job losses now the central economic issue confronting America, the analysis shows that the health care cost savings the bill will achieve will help businesses add new employees.
“For years, rising costs have made hiring new employees more expensive than it should be-choking employment growth” said ConnPIRG associate Jenn Hatch. “By holding down health care costs, health reform will mean a brighter future for job creation in Connecticut, and across the country.
ConnPIRG’s projections are based on a January report from the Center for American Progress which found that reform could add between 250,000 and 400,000 jobs nationwide every year.[1] ConnPIRG’s analysis broke down those gains state by state, based on each state’s share of private national health expenditures.
“We’ve got to put our country back to work,” said Hatch, “And Connecticut’s Congressional representatives need to know that a vote for health reform is a vote for jobs.”
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
