Just who are these 46 million Americans without Health Insurance?

I know alot of it is made up to make it look bad, for one it includes millions of illegals.....

http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2007/2007...

http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2009/2009...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/06/...

...so it looks like just over 8 million.....

There are all kinds of claims being made but the reality is this. People who do not have health insurance fall into several categories despite what the total number in each may be. First, there are the very rich. They do not purchase health insurance because they do not need it. Second are young people who do not yet earn very much money and do not see the value in spending what they have on health insurance. Third are legal and illegal aliens. Forth are people who have enough income to afford it but do not chose to buy it for whatever reason. Fifth are people who already qualify for existing Government plans but do not apply for them.

All of these people should not even be considered a health insurance problem they are either not a problem at all or are caused by other bad government or bad personal decisions.

That leaves far less than 46 million people. Of this remaining group are people who have recently lost their jobs and cannot afford to continue the same coverage they had while working. Self-employed people who cannot get low group rates and other.

What is needed is a health care insurance solution that addresses the problems in this last group because for recently unemployed and self-employed, government rules are actually causing them to be uninsured. Unemployed people, for instance would be far better off paying for their regular health care out of pocket and having a much less expensive Catastrophic Care Plan. But these plans have been outlawed. People who are self-employed cannot seek health care from other States because Federal Law prohibits insurance companies from competing across State Lines.

When you really get down to who is in need, it is not a very large number. We should be able to find these people a solution without destroying the current system and without spending Billions of Dollars.

BTW-people who suggest we have people dying in the streets for lack of care are either just plain misinformed or are deliberately misinforming.

*

Things have not changed all that much since 2007, when this was posted:

"Some of the uninsured are already eligible for public programs (25%). They need assist in connecting them with available resources. Others are uninsured but can afford coverage (20%). The majority of the uninsured (56%) though fall into a third category, fulltime workers who earn too much to qualify for assistance but not enough to afford health insurance.

75% of all uninsured individuals will be covered under a health insurance plan within 12 months of first becoming uninsured. Only 2.5% of the population is considered to be chronically uninsured and remains without health insurance coverage for two or more years.

Two-thirds of Americans are offered health insurance coverage through their employers. 14% decline this coverage and 2/3rds of those who decline are enrolled in a different private health insurance plans, i.e. spouse’s plan. One-third who decline employer-sponsored coverage do not obtain health insurance anywhere else and become part of the uninsured statistic. Cost is the main reason why individuals will decline coverage in an employer-based plan. Many employers require employees to shoulder a portion of health benefits costs.

Knowing the breakdown helps us derive public and private initiatives to solve the problem. "

Defining terms is helpful.

If hubby declines insurance at company/school A is he uninsured?

If single male choose to stay uninsured for an increase in pay -- His he uninsured.

Perhaps, if Liberal would like to sell this nonsense --- they could post some auditable verifiable data (number by gender state) and group by these classes;

Illegals individuals

Refused offered coverage (non Cobra)

Refused but covered by spouse's plan. (or insured)

New born children not yet enrolled

Employed but refused self insurance

Alas being precise does not raise emotions.

Actually from what I have heard, there are approximately 5 million that are really unable to get health insurance. With over 300 million people in this country, it is a very small amount that do not have or do not want health insurance. The poor have State aid, like Medicade. The seniors have Medicare. Other choose to go to the emergency rooms for their care. Those that have lost their jobs can get temporary insurance. The rest of us either pay individually or have it through our work. There are many plans out there that are affordable. You may not have complete coverage, but at least you will have some type of insurance. Mine does go up every six months, but I would still prefer to have the insurance that I want and not what the government wants me to have. Years ago our State had insurance plans for people, it went belly up. The government has yet to show me that they are capable of running any "business". They have bankrupted every program they ever created.

Why do we have to have our entire Nations healthcare system changed for the few that do not want insurance or simply refuse to pay for the coverage? (deducted from pay, etc.) There has always been healthcare in this country for those that could not pay. And believe me, those that use the system know exactly how to get it. I know plenty that do.

EDIT: After reading some of your responses I just have to say there are several whiners complaining that they cannot afford insurance. Here is examples of what I found in an online search. Also, the time to try and get insurance is not when you are diagnosed with some type of disease, you probably will not find coverage.

Humana, Family, 1 male 35, 1 female 25 and 1 child $93.00 month

United Healthcare $118 month

1 male age 24

Humana $35 month

United Healthcare $40.

So please, do not tell me that there is no affordable insurance out there. These are just two companies. I say get up off the couch and look for it! IT will not come to you!

New Census Bureau figures expected next month could scramble the equation, adding billions in costs if the numbers come in higher than expected, or reducing costs if the numbers are lower.

There could be serious implications "if we all of a sudden found that instead of 45 million uninsured there are 35 million," said Michael O'Grady, a senior fellow at the University of Chicago's health policy and evaluation department and a former assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090806/ap_on_go_pr_wh...

Barack Obama frequently cites last year's Census Bureau number of 46 million people with no health insurance. But some experts argue that figure is off by tens of millions — in one direction or the other.

The recession's continuing toll on jobs, a tendency to undercount people on Medicaid and other factors make it hard to come up with an exact number. And the most widely accepted range — 40 million to 50 million — includes some 10 million non-citizens, a detail that's generally overlooked when Obama and others talk about "uninsured Americans."

The lack of certainty about such big numbers is one more question mark for Obama and members of Congress as they try to craft a plan that would cover most of the uninsured. Obama says his goal is to cover 97 percent to 98 percent of Americans, a target that would be reached by plans taking shape in the Senate — if you don't count illegal immigrants. A bill crafted by House Democrats comes in closer to 94 percent.

All the plans would exclude illegal immigrants, who account for as much as 17 percent of the uninsured, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

Self employed, small (tiny) business, sub-contractors, vendors, illegal immigrants, working poor (McJobs), and those who can't get a group rate from or are a immediate family (spouse), or "X" relative of military or government, who'll pay 30k per self and per person (yearly) for (all but useless), gigantic deductible, preventive/subjective/list only/cheap care (no pre-existing conditions), everything is pre-existing, from third-world Witch Doctors (approved list), a hundred miles away, six months later.

Simply, they can't afford it.

Being "forced" to buy oby's will be the same. They can't afford it.

Making you buy something you don't want & can't afford is not "Providing" you with anything but another bill.

Nothing will change as to the care given for free, this is oby's way to get money to pay for it.

A band aid & aspirin for a bullet wound. Treating the visible surface and not addressing the cause, or making an impact on the inevitable results. Cosmetic ...CYA

There are more dental issues than other medical issues in this country & the world. Not as dramatic, or as press getting, but way more UGLY. (probably why it doesn't get the press).

Does oby's plan have dental coverage? At all?

Apart from the standard lecture ... Brush twice a day, use mouthwash for one minute, and floss more.

This helps a toothache how?

About 5 to 6 million illegals that can't get coverage under any health care proposals.

Another 5 to 6 million legal immigrants that are eligible for health insurance. Not all immigrants are illegal.

And the rest are born on US soil.

About 40% of them are younger poeple who haven't had a chance to get a good job, buy a house, etc. And simply have trouble affording insurance. All surveys say it isn't because they feel invincible. They just have trouble afford it over more necessary costs.

Half of them are people who lose their job and can't get health insurance for several months at a time.

Most are either self employed or working at jobs that do not provide health care.

This does not include the poor who are already qualified for medicaid; medical coverage for the poor.

It includes hard working Americans that simply don't have jobs that provide group health insurance. For example, It includes a 50 year old women I know who has a painting business and can't get coverage. One company dropped her and because she has leukemia every other company won't cover her preexisting condition. She will soon have to sell her house and declare bankruptcy.

If she lived in Canada. England, or any other industrialized nation she would be receiving treatment without worrying about the cost.

Americans

Well, let's see, Acorn counted them sooooooo...............

They could be just about anywhere, dead, alive, on the 27 floor of a 25 floor building, hangin' out in the middle of a lake (with a rowboat address), they could be working on a cartoon movie and are temporarily unavailable at this time, so and so forth............

Oh, I just read that you would prefer we be serious.

Hmm. Well, ya know....... I think I am being serious in all honesty.....

One man's seriousness is another man's absurdity.

Smile. Enjoy.

One of them is my 24 year old son. Graduated from college last year, working two part time jobs to make his student loans, living at home, and is completely without health insurance. He's joining the Coast Guard so will have insurance shortly, but God forbid he get seriously ill or break a leg inbetween now and then.