A lack of health care reform on the state or federal level is having a big impact on cities. Jesse Russell reports:

A news study by Families USA titled “America’s Health Care Crisis: Cities on the Front Lines,” highlights the growing burden on cities as the state and federal governments continue to delay reform of health care. With fewer Americans on health insurance, costs are rising as the uninsured go without treatment and turn to emergency rooms, clinics, and school systems, instead of primary practitioners. During a conference call on Monday, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter laid out the issues being faced by the city of Brotherly Love and echoed throughout the country:

[Nutter1]: "In many instances people are using emergency rooms as their primary health care provider, which of course we know, does not work at all."

Nutter said a lack of health insurance has dire consequences.

[Nutter2]: "People who don’t have health insurance are much more likely to receive too little medical care and get it too late, tend to be sicker and die, uh, sooner."