The Uninsured and Who They Are

If you are uninsured like my family you know who you are, but who do others say you are. Mr. Dawson and the FReepers who responded to the post about his article seem a little mean spirited. They have it figured that the uninsured are illegals, the rich, the lazy, the young, and basically a large group of people that aren't deserving of our concern. They are uninsured because they choose to be. I reread his article and the responses, and it just reinforces my desire to not align myself with a major political party.

The New Your Times published an article entitled "Health Leaders Seek Consensus Over Uninsured" by Robert Pear. I don't know how long that link will work so I'll summarize. For months 24 leaders of different groups with an interest in the problem of the uninsured have been secretly meeting trying to hammer out a consensus on a basket of solutions to the problem. They are liberals, conservatives, union leaders, and health care representatives. The list is long and they started in October 2004 hoping to finish a unified report for Congress and the Bush administration.

"Uninsured by Choice: Update", published by the National Center For Policy Analysis in October 2003, leaves little doubt which way they lean. This quote should wet your appetite."A common assumption is that most uninsured Americans simply cannot afford the cost of coverage. However, the evidence points to other factors in many cases."

The American College Physicians paints a very scary picture for the uninsured and the underinsured in it's detailed report "No Health Insurance? It's Enough to Make You Sick - Scientific Research Linking the Lack of Health Coverage to Poor Health". I confess to only reading the forward and that was bad enough. Excerpt: " A lack of insurance is not simply an inconvenience. It is a real barrier to access and definitely contributes to poorer health. With 44 million Americans uninsured, and 100,000 more added to their ranks each month, their vulnerability to poorer health has reached epidemic proportions".