Archive for the ‘Health Care / Medical Insurance’ Category

Newer Entries »

Census Details: Number of health uninsureds drops in 2007 …

September 2, 2008

Based on Census data released by the Department of Commerce
August 27, 2008:

* * * * *

At the DNC last week, it was being said that the number of uninsureds had increased by 3 million.

Not true, according to data recently released by the Commerce Dept.

* * * * *

The number of insured people increased by 2.3 million — to almost 300 million total insureds.

The number of uninsureds dropped by about 1.3 million — to 45.657 million.

Of the 45.657 million uninsureds:

  • Almost 10 millions are classified as “not a citizen”;
  • Over 9 million earn more than $75,000 annually;
  • Over 15 million earn more than $50,000 annually;
  • Almost 10 million are classified as “did not work”

Note: categories are not mutually exclusive, so there is some double-counting.

* * * *

image 
image

* * * * *

image

* * * * *

image

* * * * *

Published in  “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007”, U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration

Full report:
http://www.census.gov/prod/2008pubs/p60-235.pdf

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link =>  The Homa Files Blog

* * * * *

Posted in Government & Politics, Health Care / Medical Insurance, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Number of uninsureds down … not up !

August 29, 2008

Excerpted from USA TODAY, “Census: Uninsured total shrank, incomes rose in 2007”,  Aug. 28, 2008

* * * * *

The number of people without health insurance dropped 1.3 million to 45.7 million. The uninsured fell to 15.3% from 15.8%. The primary reason for decline: More people, especially children, are covered by government-sponsored insurance.

* * * * *

Median household income rose to $50,233 in 2007 after adjusting for inflation. That’s $665 more than a year earlier but still below the peak of 1999. Income in black households rose for the first time since 1999.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama said, “Today’s news confirms what America’s struggling families already know — that over the past seven years, our economy has moved backwards.”

* * * * *

Full article:
http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=Census%3A+Uninsured+total+shrank%2C+incomes+rose+in+2007+-+USATODAY.com&expire=&urlID=30607054&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fnation%2Fcensus%2F2008-08-26-census-poverty_N.htm&partnerID=1660

* * * * *

Note: See post “From Clinton to Bush, median real after-tax income is up !” ….  Watch for details re: uninsureds next week.

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link =>  The Homa Files Blog

* * * * *

Posted in Economics, Government & Politics, Health Care / Medical Insurance, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Health Care: Uninsured Spend $30 Billion Out-of-Pocket … Total Tab $209 Billion

August 25, 2008

Excerpted from WSJ,  “Uninsured to Spend $30 Billion”,
August 25, 2008

Americans who lack health insurance will spend about $30 billion out of pocket on medical care this year, but others — mainly the government — will end up covering another $56 billion in costs … The tab to cover all the uninsured would be $208.6 billion — $122.6 billion more than this year’s projected total.

Health-care spending accounted for 16.3% of gross domestic product in 2007, or about $2.2 trillion

The government pays 75%, or $42.9 billion, of the amount uninsured patients can’t pay — through Medicaid, the federal-state health-insurance for the poor and Medicare, the federal program for the elderly and disabled, as well as state and local taxes.

Complicating the measure: Some doctors and hospitals donate time and forgo profit to cover poor people

While many have argued that uncompensated care will translate into higher premiums to patients with private insurance … the study reported that the impact is “very small,” noting that despite an increase in the number of uninsured, hospital spending on uncompensated care has been relatively stable. That is partly because the public hospitals and clinics that most often care for the uninsured often don’t have many privately insured patients to absorb the costs.

image

* * * * *

Full article:   http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121963245880668193.html?mod=hps_us_whats_news

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
Click link =>  The Homa Files Blog

* * * * *

Posted in Health Care / Medical Insurance, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Hmmm: Obama Visits Doctor (on a Sunday Night !)

July 28, 2008

The Story

CHICAGO — Barack Obama, back in his home town after a tour of Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe, saw a doctor at the University of Chicago Medical Center on Sunday night to deal with a sore hip, inflamed from playing basketball.

My POV  (POV = point-of-view)

1) Obama promises that when he’s elected, we’ll get exactly the same health care that Senators get.

Does that mean that my doctor will see me on a Sunday night (for “soreness” no less)  instead of telling me that the next open appointment slot is 6 weeks from Tuesday at 1:46 — come early, but plan to wait?

Must be, because Obama certainly wouldn’t think of accepting preferential care, right?

2) Why do all of the candidates confuse “medical insurance” with “health care” ?  The former is just money; the latter is fundamental service delivery.  Two different things !

Amen.

* * * * *

Want more from the Homa Files?
 Click link =>  The Homa Files Blog

Posted in Government & Politics, Health Care / Medical Insurance, Opinions, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Newer Entries »