a lot of the uninsured could actually afford medical coverage?

Yes, lots of people, especially young healthy people, choose not to purchase health insurance so they can spend that money on other things. Shouldn't they have that choice? After all, it's their money.

You can afford what you choose to pay for. Maybe you need to look at what you're spending your money on and re-direct some of your discretionary spending to health insurance.

You could also look into getting a different job that offers health insurance as a fringe benefit.

Maybe you were born in California, but that doesn't mean you can't leave California. The economy in California sucks anyway (the fact that liberal socialists have run California to the verge of bankruptcy ought to be a warning to the rest of the country) -- getting a job in another state would lower your cost of living and then you could afford health insurance. You might even make more money because you wouldn't get taxed as much as in California.

Could afford and not being able to buy are 2 different things. Many could afford, but because of pre-existing conditions, they are being denied. This is a growing number. Another issue is the steep increase in premiums for small businesses and the changing terms by insurance companies that force many such small businesses or individuals out of the "affordability bracket" in future years. In 2000 alone, Aetna, through some of its policy change, purged out 8 million such policyholders for those accounts it considered might not be profitable. These risks could happen to anyone. The third issue is, as long as you are employed permanently with your current company that provide you with corporate medical insurance, you will be ok. But, in this day and age, will there be cradle to grave employment? Is your insurance portable, ie it will go wherever you go, after you change jobs? Or did the company cover you under group insurance? There again, when you change jobs, and depending on your age (let's say 45 and above), insurance companies may not want you or charge sky high premiums. You, too, may not be able to afford it.

The fallacy out there is that those who do not have are just lazy, not working or refuse to get an insurance coverage. Don't such people look at the exploits of the insurance companies, and as a critical mass demand that reform has to take place. Otherwise, if the public option could be relied upon to provide coverage for those under-privileged, as mentioned above, then let the public option grow to compete against for-profit-only behemoths that care more about bottomline than your health care.

Some of the answers on here astound me. Especially so from people who say "I don't know what insurance rates are, but I'm sure you could find plans that are affordable".

Dear one, the reality is that you have very few choices. At least not affordable ones. You take home what every two weeks...$800 at the most? Now if you factor in the cost of living (rent, food, car payment, fuel, etc)..which will vary dramatically depending on your location - how much do you have left over?

From 2000-2001 I paid $450 a month for an individual plan in the State of Washington (I was self-employed). I can't even imagine what it would cost now given how much premiums have gone up in the past 10 years. However, even if the rates haven't changed....can you afford another $400 or more monthly payment with what you make?

Most people don't realize how expensive insurance is when purchased independently of an employer. Too many take for granted that there are so many affordable options when there aren't.

A popular argument about the health care reform thing is that many of the 45 million Americans without insurance choose not to have insurance because they are young and healthy. To reflect this, Obama used an updated number in his most recent speech: instead of saying 45 million, he said 30 million, which is thought to be the number of people who cannot afford adequate insurance, excluding those who could but choose not to buy it.

I'm not real familiar with the pricing of insurance plans, but I know that there are a LOT of options out there. There is probably coverage you could afford; whether it's good coverage is another matter. I've heard about some good plans through Blue Cross, as well as good plans specifically for young adults. I'd recommend looking into those. Blue Cross, in particular, has something called the "plan of last resort," which is federally mandated to accept people regardless of their pre-existing health conditions. So if you have pre-existing conditions that make getting coverage hard, you might want to Google this plan.

Good luck!

Many of the uninsured are people ages 18-30 who think they are immortal and have no need for medical insurance. They actually choose not buy it. They instead buy material things such as cell phones and fancy cars (versus just a land line or just a reliable car). Many of the uninsured are illegal immigrants who suck this country dry and never contribute a dime towards this country. Some of the uninsured are people who actually make too much to qualify for medicaid, yet can't afford life insurance. These people are few in number compared to the rest. The latter are the people who actually need help. The government can leave the rest of us alone. It is the illegal immigrants and the people who choose not to work and receive handouts that bring this country down.

I calculated once that I spend around 7,200 a year on insurance, or roughly 600 a month. Over the last 4 years my daughter fractured her arm and broke her nose (she plays sports like a boy), and she had to get her tonsils removed. The total of these bills were about 12,000.

So, I paid about $28,000 for about $12,000 worth of service. Not a good deal. If a medical savings account were available, I would have about 16,000 left in it.

If I had it to do all over again, I would find out how much my premiums would be, and then set aside that money like a payroll deduction. If any emergency happens that I don't have the cash for, the hospital will allow payments... which are usually a fraction of the cost of insurance.

For some time, my wife was making enough to pay for insurance, but didn't want to deal with doctor restrictions or paperwork. Instead, she put aside the money, and paid a doctor directly when required.

In your case, some insurance is within reach, and some is not. For instance, you could get catastrophic coverage, but maybe not much else.

If you're earning 22,000 a year, your boss is paying 23,748 per year, including payroll taxes. If the employer bought you top-of-the-line coverage, his costs would go up to about 27,348 per year. With a standard policy, more like 26,148 per year. Maybe he could afford that, maybe not. Under the HR3200, the employer costs would be 25,508 for the low-end policy, and 29,148 for the high end.

If the boss can afford the extra cash, great for you. If not, you're either going to get fired, or your salary will be reduced to 20,370.

Medical expenses should comprise of less than 1% of one's income, if not anything at all. Health care is a human right and should be treated as such. Insurance companies sell an invisible product that adds nothing to the GDP. Health insurance should not exist, and it should be a single payer system, where all medical expenses are covered by the public interest.

Hospitals and medical doctors are required by potential of regulation to grant equivalent scientific care to people inspite of skill to pay. maximum hospitals dont assemble insurance counsel till precise in the previous discharge interior the Emergency room. so as that medical doctors and nurses dont comprehend. they deliver you a bill on the top and you will additionally make money on it like a private loan. desire this helped!

yes. probably in many states. one state i know of for sure is michigan. if you don't live there too bad you are not allowed to purchase insurance across state lines. not only would it be cheaper there for you, competition would make it cheaper everywhere including the state you live in. do you smoke or have other discretionary spending habits like mcdonalds, vacations, or Ipod? it is a matter of priorities what you spend your money on.