http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070201937.html?referrer=emailarticle
There is no excuse why 45 million people in this country do not have health care. If it takes star power like Edie Falco (whose Carmela Soprano character on HBO's "The Sopranos" set a standard for brilliance in acting) to help mobilize congress, then so be it.
A reasonable proposal has been made by the Obama administration for combining a public/private health care program...any health care for people who don't have it, is better than none at all. In addition, spending on health care could be infrastructure spending of the type and kind that the "trio" of Krugman/Buffet/Zuckerman (see a prior blog) would endorse as a part of what might be called a "supplemental stimulus".
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When is 45 million, not 45 million?
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Census Bureau, nearly 10 million of the uninsured are neither citizens nor legal residents. In addition, more than 17 million of the uninsured make at least $50,000 per year; of which, 8.4 million make between $50,000 and $74,999, while the rest make more than $75,000. This group can afford health insurance, but refuses to do so.
The Urban Institute reports that 25% of the legal (American citizen or legal resident)uninsured already qualifies for government health insurance programs, but simply have not registered for services. Even the Kaiser Family Foundation (a liberal, Democratic-party affiliated think-tank) acknowledges that the number of uninsured Americans or legal residents who do not qualify for government programs and make less than $50,000 per year is between 8.2 million and 13.9 million.
According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, the uninsured receives approximately $1500 of free health care per year, per person regardless of legal status. Hence, the 10 million illegal uninsured receives $15 billion per year of free health care.
In conclusion, the question should not be about the 45 million, but what about the $15 billion?
PS: Edie Falco is neither an economist nor a mathematician; she merely plays a nurse on TV (her new show on Showtime, Nurse Jackie).
" This group can afford health insurance, but refuses to do so."
ReplyDeleteGuess what? The House plan, as put forward, ends that loophole, which is good for all of us.
Further, according to this study (and others):
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/insurance/2009-05-28-hiddentax_N.htm
We ALL pay for uninsured people, whether it's via direct payments from the government to compensate hospitals for uninsured folks, or in increased health care costs as medical facilities seek to recoup the lost revenues through other means. It costs the average family about $1000 a year to pay for uninsured people. That's a tax, if not in definition but in practice.
The bottom line:
Over the past 9 years the average American's health care costs have doubled, whereas median household income in that time, according to the census bureau, has gone up something like 4%.
The math, and the burden, is untenable. Simply disputing details while ignoring the bare facts of the massive social issue is irresponsible at best.
These plans, while far from perfect, seek to address those concerns, regardless of the messenger.