Who are the Uninsured?

[kitkat24]

Who are the Uninsured? October 16, 2003

Numbers Point to Problem Created When Legislation Driven by Headlines

By Chris Patterson

Another horrifying announcement from our newspapers a few weeks ago - millions of Americans are uninsured. It's so often repeated, we no longer have to ask what people are going without. This is about health insurance.

Most articles began with alarming statistics, as the Austin American-Statesman did: "The number of Americans who lack health insurance climbed by nearly 6 percent in 2002, to 43.6 million, the largest single increase in a decade, according to figures to be released today by the Census Bureau."

Such stories, and agitated editorials that followed, are geared to evoke cries of outrage for the victims. We are led to believe that this "crisis" is "growing" and, like random urban violence, not one of us may be spared.

Editorial pages have been calling on legislators - state and federal - to do something, and do it quickly. They call for more laws, more spending, more taxes, more government.

We need to breath deeply, calm down and look at the facts.

The National Center for Policy Analysis, based in Dallas, recently examined the numbers of "uninsured."

Almost three-fourths of the newly "uninsured" are people who are making over $50,000, according to the NCPA report, and simply choose not to purchase health insurance. While this decision says many things about the cost of medicine, it does not mean that people without health insurance are poor and desperate for help.

Since 1993 the number of uninsured in households with annual incomes above $75,000 increased 114 percent, according to the NCPA. On the other side of the economic divide, the study finds the number of uninsured with annual incomes below $25,000 fell by 17 percent.

The NCPA uncovered some facts that don't make it to the newspapers. For example, young adults are less likely than other age groups to have health insurance, while those over 65 are almost all insured. Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 make up some 41 percent of the "uninsured." This makes sense. We all remember the invincible years of the twenties - that is a healthy age and most young people are making the economic decision not to waste their money for insurance they do not need at the time.

Most interesting of NCPA's findings is the length of time people remain uninsured: just under a year in 75 percent of the cases.

The shrillness of many press releases and news stories disguise the fact that many without health insurance are making a rational choice. Trumping feelings over fact, the uninsured are portrayed as hapless victims of hard employers and greedy insurers.

While passing legislation to create more programs that spend more money might make for good politics, they do no good in the long run and often deflect resources from the truly needy.

Perhaps the only accurate conclusion we can draw from headlines is that a great many Americans are opting to take care of themselves in ways not reflected in insurance headcounts. Instead of creating more programs, lawmakers should search for ways to make it easier for us all to plan and pay for our individual health care needs. Rather than raising taxes to slay an illusionary dragon, legislators could reduce the mandates making health care - and health insurance - so expensive for every one.

Chris Patterson is director of research for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan research institution.

TexasPolicy.com

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

As a registered nurse, supervisor of nursing at a ltc facility in Texas (part of a big chain) *I* was one of the uninsured. I certainly made nowhere near $50,000. a year. I would have purchased health insurance, had my employer offered it.

The company did not offer health insurance for its' nurses.

I was injured on the job and had to pay for the ER bill out of my own pocket, due not having health insurance and to Texas not having Workman's Comp-

One co-worker had an emergency appy while employed there. Employees donated their sick days and took up a collection for her. When she lost her apartment, one LVN invited her to move in w/ his family. Still, the employee lost her home and her car because of not having health insurance.

Nurses without health insurance- kind of like mechanics without cars, huh?

[obeyacts2]

Maybe 50K is lots of money is MS, but in thw West its not much, esp when a cramped 2 bedroom apt starts at 900/mo. Individual health policies are outrageous.........for myself I pay 333 per month for a very basic 80/20 plan. I am blackballed by insurers as I had ARDS 17 yrs ago plus am over the ht/wt limit. Insurers are becoming extremely picky as to who they will cover. If I had to put Dh on our policy we would be paying 1000/mo. more than our mortgage. He is a vet and can get VA. So, if I had myself Dh and one kid that would be abt 1200/mo. That with my mortgage, is 2200 month. Now, that 50K sure doesnt look very big does it.

Laura

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I remember arguments like this used during the Reagan and Bush I years, as a rationale for failing to ensure health security for every American. Sorry, kitkat, that dog don't hunt.......didn't back then, either, and there weren't nearly as many Americans without insurance as there are now.

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

I bet kitkat's not among the ranks of the uninsured. Only some one with excellent health insurance would post such a stupid article.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Neither am I---in fact, I have dual insurance that covered my last surgical procedure without my paying a dime in out-of-pocket costs---but it hasn't always been that way. In fact, medical bills once helped push our family into bankruptcy. I guess you have to have "been there" to know what it's like for those tens of millions of Americans who AREN'T "voluntarily" uninsured.

[Nightcrawler, BSN, RN]

I am sure that there are people out there that choose not to purchase health insurance. That does not however negate the fact that there are many people out there that can not afford, or are ineligible to purchase a policy. I am currently a student who does not work enough hours to qualify for a employee health policy. I benefit from a family trust that would foot the bill for a private policy, except that there is no insurance company that will accept me because I am a overweight individual who suffers from a chronic illness. (asthma) While there are state waiting lists for high risk policies, the requirements to get on the list are stiff, and the wait, once you get on the list, is over a year in length. I feel that it is irresponsible to quote one study showing a increase in a voluntary uninsured state among those with high incomes to justify a argument that there is no need for insurance reform!

[fergus51]

If the uninsured have the money, then why don't we require them to purchase health insurance (and require health insurance companies to accept them and charge a reasonable amount)?

[kitkat24]

A reasonable post.... This is a good question. It appears to me that there are two ways to do that. Free-market healthcare where my doctor works for me and there is competition (not true of our current HMO's again one of MN's babies). I'd prefer my doctor work for me and not the government or the HMO. The other choice is universal care, in which case the government is really your doctor, not your doctor. I do not think it is wise to stay the same, nor do I think it is wise for Universal healthcare.

And, to the poster gettin' personal, I have HMO EPO coverage through my employer. Employee plus child/ren is $95.00 per pay period. Do you ever stop to think how much your employer pays above and beyond what you pay? How much is that total policy per month? I pay about $200.00 per month on a $2,000.00 per month policy. That is why "Benefits" are part of your salary. We do not pay for the entire premium.

For example, if you are an RN at most of the hospitals in the Twin Cities metro area you can "opt out" of benefits. Guess what your hourly wage goes up by if you do not want your employer to pay for your health insurance premiums? It goes up by $15.00 per hour. If you make $25.00 now, you'd make $40.00 per hour if you opted out.

I do not believe that I have called other posts "stupid" or insulted any of you. Although, posts can sometimes offend, I have not personally attacked any of you. Oh yeah, that is a liberals behavior.... sorry... the very essence of liberalism.

Kit kat

"gimme a break gimme a break"

[fergus51]

Kitkat, I really enjoy some of your posts. That said, generalizing about liberals is just as much a personal attack as being called stupid. It's more subtle, but no less insulting.

Now, back to the topic at hand.... how do we require people to pay in a free market system?

And believe me, my doctor is my doctor, not the government. I have tried to explain how our system works, but if you would say that, I obviously haven't done a very good job. I pick my doctor, we determine my care, I can fire him and pick a new doctor anytime.

By the way, one of the benefits companies have in setting up shop here is that they don't have to cough up nearly as much benefit money thanks to the health care system. Ontario has lured more businesses here over the years from the great lake states thanks in part to that.

[marilynmom, LPN, NP]

I do not have health insurance because I can't afford it. My husband is covered for "free" though his work and both my children have health insurance but we simply can not afford it for me....it would cost $300 more a month for me to be insured!! WHERE oh WHERE would I get that kind of money?!

I certainly do not choose to not be covered.

Marilyn

[prunepie]

i am an example of one of the uninsured who is neither rich nor poor.. i am in the middle according to the government therefore lies the catch 22.

i once went totry to get state health insurance about 5 years ago..i was told if i own a car worth more than 5 thousand dollars an or have more than 3 thousand in the bank i am ineligeable for state help..so go get a job that has insurance..unless i get pregnant..then they would help...grr

at that time the only jobs i were qualified for were literally waitresses or starbucks etcetc... okay might get insurance..but at 8 bucks an hour..how do i pay for rent?? and car payments??

so there are alot of people who want insurance but cant get it.

i also tried for individual coverage and was denied repeatedly due to pre existings... seriously i have a friend how who is 21 ..thin.. no health probs but migraines and was denied as well... she is a lucky one though..she is married and her hubby has family coverage.

i now have kaiser... andi dont want to go bashing bc there might be people here who work for them..but it is an hmo.... and i do get coverage for emergencies and routine help..but i still pay out of pocket for an md who is a specialist in my pre existings..

its a sad world when to get help you literally need to be destitute to get help.

xo jenn