The ‘Real’ Uninsured | Arthritis Information

 

Summary

Former Sen. Fred Thompson said on "Meet the Press" that "the 45 million … figure of uninsured is probably about twice the real number of people who can’t afford insurance or don’t have access to it really." He’s not the only one saying that the number is inflated. We find that many of the numbers cited are accurate, but may need to be seen in context to get a true picture.

• The Census Bureau estimates that 45.7 million lacked health insurance at any given time in 2007. But fewer lacked coverage for the full year, and more did without for one or more months during the year. All three numbers are likely to be higher for 2008 due to massive job losses.

• Twenty-six percent of the uninsured are eligible for some form of public coverage but do not make use of it, according to The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation. This is sometimes, but not always, a matter of choice.

• Twenty-one percent of the uninsured are immigrants, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. But that figure includes both those who are here legally and those who are not. The number of illegal immigrants who are included in the official statistics is unknown.

• Twenty percent of the uninsured have family incomes of greater than ,000 per year, according to the Census Bureau. But this does not necessarily mean they have access to insurance. Even higher-income jobs don’t always offer employer-sponsored insurance, and not everyone who wants private insurance is able to get it.

• Forty percent of the uninsured are young, according to KFF. But speculation that they pass up insurance because of their good health is unjustified. KFF reports that many young people lack insurance because it’s not available to them, and people who turn down available insurance tend to be in worse health, not better, according to the Institute of Medicine

http://2.factcheck.org/2009/06/the-real-uninsured/

excellent article Lynn........ I think the number is higher than reported, just like unemployment numbers are low....        they stop counting people when their unemployment insurance runs out. That's not the same thing as getting a decent job in your field or any job at all! Private family coverage tends to cost 00 or more per month. Plus you have to qualify medically for coverage, the insurance companies have to make a profit to stay in business.  Just how many families have a grand a month to spend on anything after housing, food, and car ?  The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation offers these five facts about the uninsured.

• Most of the uninsured are in working families and do not have access to employer-sponsored insurance.
• More than eight in ten of the uninsured are in low- or moderate-income families.
• Most low- and moderate-income uninsured adults are not eligible for Medicaid.
• The uninsured suffer from negative health consequences due to their lack of access to necessary medical care.
• Medical bills are a burden for the uninsured and frequently leave them with debt.

Additional facts from POV'S CRITICAL CONDITION site:

• 80% of the uninsured are adults. Young adults (ages 19-24) are at greatest risk of being uninsured and make up more than one of every three uninsured adults.
• The majority of uninsured adults (75%) have gone without coverage for a period of at least one year.
• The average total annual cost of employer-sponsored family coverage in 2007 was ,106 — seldom affordable to low-wage workers without sizable contributions from their employers.

POV's CRITICAL CONDITION site tallied up the costs of the uninsured:

• The lost productivity of uninsured Americans costs the economy up to 0 billion dollars a year — more than the estimated cost to cover the uninsured.
• Covering the bills of the uninsured increases the annual health premiums for the average family by 2.
• Hospitals typically charge uninsured patients 2.5 times what they charge privately insured patients.
• Uninsured adults are 4.5 times more likely to go without medical care than insured adults.
• Uninsured cancer patients are nearly twice as likely to die within five years as insured patients.
• Over half a million Americans are currently battling cancer without insurance.
• Among non-elderly adults, the lack of health insurance is the sixth leading cause of death in America.

The recession and the ever-increasing costs of employer-provided insurance to both business and employees have created additional stress.

A recent study shows that based on the effects of the recession alone (not job loss), it is projected that nearly seven million Americans will lose their health insurance coverage between 2008 and 2010. (T. P., Gilmer and R. G. Kronick)

Even if employees are offered coverage on the job, they can’t always afford their portion of the premium. Since 1999, health insurance premiums have increased 119 percent for employers and employee spending for health insurance coverage (employee’s share of family coverage) has increased 117 percent between 1999 and 2008.

Rapidly rising health insurance premiums are the main reason cited by all small firms for not offering coverage. Health insurance premiums are rising at extraordinary rates. While, the average annual increase in inflation has been 2.5 percent, health insurance premiums for small firms have escalated an average of 12 percent annually. (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Employee Health Benefits: 2008 Annual)

Joie2009-08-27 23:13:46
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