The cost of failing to fix our broken health care system is greater than the price tag of comprehensive health reform, according to a new report and interactive online state guide released today by the Health Policy Program at the New America Foundation.

The New America report entitled, "The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why the Cost of Failing to Fix Our Health System is Greater than the Cost of Reform," found that the average cost of a family employer-sponsored health insurance plan will climb to more than $24,000 or over 45 percent of median household income by 2016. Under this scenario, half of American households would need to spend more than 45 percent of their income in order to secure health insurance for themselves and their families.

The report also found that the U.S. economy lost as much at $207 billion in 2007 because of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured.

Commenting on the report, Len Nichols, the director of New America's Health Policy Program, said:

When it comes to our health system, the economic and social impact of inaction is high and it will only rise over time. Our economy cannot recover if Americans are spending increasing shares of their income on health insurance alone. Likewise, rising health care costs are undermining the ability of U.S. firms to compete and threatening good American jobs. Therefore, we must reform our health system not in spite of our current economic crisis, but rather precisely because of the impact health care has on American workers and businesses.

In addition, the report offers state by state analysis. This state specific data is also profiled on the Health Policy Program's new website, "The State of State Health." Visit http://statehealth.newamerica.net to find out how your state is doing, where it is going, and the real cost of doing nothing about our nation's health care crisis. Check back later this week as we present some of the features and findings from this  new tool.