I think that practically everybody agrees all citizens should have access to adequate heath care and that the current system has some major problems re: cost, service-delivery, and insurance coverage.
Universal heath care was the centerpiece of the Clinton – Obama – Edwards campaign platforms during the Democratic primaries, and though the issue seems to have been moved to the back burner in the general election campaigns — in part, having been displaced on the front burner by $4 per gallon gasoline prices — it is embedded in the Democratic platform.
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For starters, I get irked that politicos have such a hard time distinguishing between health care (e.g. seeing a doctor, getting into a hospital, getting a prescription filled) and health insurance (i.e. being part of a “risk pool” with healthy folks subsidizing unhealthy ones — and, maybe, having the insurance premiums partially paid by employers or somebody else),
The health insurance part is probably the easier to fix since it just means throwing money at the problem — usually, somebody’s else’s money that gathered up by raising taxes.
The heated debate usually centers on the 45 million uninsured folks in the U.S. (see yesterday’s post for the official Commerce Dept. data).
Putting that number in context: as of today, the U.S. population is just under 305 million … adding in about 20 million illegal immigrants and the number is 325 million.
http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html
So, the 45 million represent about 15% of the population of folks living in the U.S..
That means that roughly 85% of the population does have health insurance of one sort or another — usually through employers or the government (Medicare and Medicaid).
It has become a national pastime to gripe about health insurance premiums going up, co-pays and deductibles going up, coverage being pared back (i.e. the list of participating docs and services covered), and claims processes being confusing and high-hassle. But, it’s my sense that — adjusting for the naturally stressful nature of the “product” — most people are relatively satisfied with their insurance programs. Sure, everybody would like to pay less, get more, and get it easier — but on balance, the plans do what they’re supposed to do.
Now, as to the other 15% — the uninsureds. I’ve seen many estimates that break the 45 million roughly into thirds: 1/3 are illegal immigrants; 1/3 are folks who have access to plans but choose to, in effect, self-insure — they’re typically healthy young-adults, many of whom make over $50,000 per year; and 1/3 “structurally uninsured” — split about equally between poor people with no prospects for private insurance and folks who are simply between jobs.
Call me callous, but I don’t think the first two groups — the illegal immigrants and the voluntarily self-insured — should be considered.
So, the number goes from 47 million to about the 15 million, or 5% of the population.
Pardon me, but what is all of the fuss about?
Why not just add a Part E to Medicare to cover these folks and move on? Doesn’t strike me that we should completely upset a system that’s basically working for about 90% of the population …
I must be missing something
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