Census: Uninsured Can Afford It

NewsMax ^ | 8/31/05 | NewsMax

[RightWinger]

Most people can afford insurance but choose not to buy it so they can spend money on other stuff. They would rather take a handout from more responsible workers.

[tom h]

Not quite right.

The 8 M is a subset of the 16 M. And the 14 M, you cannot tell how many are part of the 16 M. So leave that out.

But the 9.5 M illegals all probably earn less than $40 K, so they can be added in total. So the number is:

45-16-9.5= 19.5 M poor uninsured.

[fjsva]

It's a gamble but one major illness can run up a huge bill. My wife has been treated for cancer twice. I calculated that the cost of her treatment and followup care has equaled what we've paid for health insurance the past 25 years. Her yearly meds and followup care about equal the premiums.

[TC Rider]

Years ago my favorite Senator, the Honorable Jesse Helms, was lambasted for saying that there were a lot of healthy young people in North Carolina, who, when given the choice between health insurance and making payments on a bass boat, would buy the boat.

(Probably better for their mental health)

[stylin19a]

Thanx....I knew someone could make better sense of this than me.

I can see the 8 being a subset of 16, but no way 50k+ a year is eligible for Medicaid.
so i'm guessing the 14 s/b included.
The 11.8 is probably a subset of the 14.

In any case, even your 19.5 is approx. 6%....almost inline with the unemployment rate.

The question is, what meaning does any of this have, other than giving rats ammunition ?

[tom h]

"The question is, what meaning does any of this have, other than giving rats ammunition ?"

Actually, while the article provides facts, these facts are not the essential ones.

There was another analysis that placed the "uninsured" in proper perspective. It subdivided the uninsured into several categories. Here's what it revealed.

1) Temporarily uninsured families (father or mother between jobs) comprised more than half of the 40 million uninsured, I think around 25 million. They bet on the come that they will get a job, and health coverage soon, so they don't pay for COBRA coverage from their former employer. Typical duration of no coverage is 4 months. Income levels are probably $40-100K/year, so some but not all are hovering near the poverty line.

2) Young adults, 20s and early 30s, self-employed or living with their parents, about 5 million. These people don't get health insurance from their workplace (non-professional jobs like Starbucks, lifeguard, IT outsourcing, temporary-secretary), and they bet on the come that they won't need medical care -- so they don't buy a $6,000 annual policy out of their pocket. [It's a good bet. If an American got through childhood and teen years without major health problems, it is extremely unlikely -- barring an auto accident -- that they will need insurance until they hit middle age.]

3) Illegal aliens, 10 million. But they get care anyway, by state-funded assistance programs. All they have to do is show up at emergency rooms.

4) That leaves only about 5 million chronically uninsured Americans. Many of them are mentally ill. Don't forget, American poor get Medicare.

The 40 million uninsured has always been a scam. All it takes is a little analysis, or as Dennis Prager always says, "think a second time."

The same analysis tears apart the "4,000 American kids that die each year due to guns." Don't get me started on that one unless you really want to hear it.

[stylin19a]

thanx...basically...the sky ISIN'T falling.