[tri-med] Re: get informed

Regarding being uninsured by choice, from factcheck.org 
(http://www.factcheck.org/politics/the_real_uninsured.html)
"Claim: Many of the uninsured are young people who think they're invincible. 
The National Review Institute writes: "More than half of the uninsured are 
between 18 and 34 years of age, a
group which has relatively few expensive health issues and for whom
self-insuring (paying their own medical bills) makes sense." Actually,
only about 40 percent of the uninsured are between 18 and 34, according
to the Census. 

Is this younger group uninsured by choice? KFF said young people lack insurance 
for a variety of reasons: "Many low-income young adults lack access to 
affordable private
coverage since few are full-time students or full-time employees, few
have jobs that offer employer coverage, and few have access to coverage
through their parents." 

Similarly, the Institute of Medicine reportsthat "adults who decline offers of 
[employer-sponsored insurance] ...
are more likely to be in poor health with high-cost medical
conditions." So those who turn down available coverage don't always do
so because they're in great health and don't want to pay for it. Many
find it to be unavailable, or can't afford it at the price offered."

And here is the other issue: whether they choose not to have insurance or can't 
get it, when they get sick they seek treatment.  Period.  And when they do, its 
costs a lot more because it typically happens through an ER:

"The annual number of emergency department visits jumped from 90.3
million in 1996 to more than 119 million in 2006, a 32 percent
increase. At the same time, the percentage of nonobstetric hospital
admissions that came through emergency departments climbed from 36
percent in 1996 to 50 percent in 2006, according to the study, which is
based on various components of the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics' 
National Health Care Survey." 
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20080827er-visits.html

And from the Boston Globe:
"More people are seeking care in hospital emergency rooms, and the cost
of caring for ER patients has soared 17 percent over two years, despite
efforts to direct patients with nonurgent problems to primary care
doctors instead, according to new state data."
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/24/er_visits_costs_in_mass_climb/

If people refuse to get insurance and otherwise could, shame on them in my 
opinion.  But it is not as if when something happens to them they are going to 
get turned away.  Do I think that health insurance should be a mandate? Not 
necessarily.  We are having this debate in right now in Massachusetts.  But, 
you do need to have car insurance.  Can't get license plates without proof of 
insurance.  "But I'm a really good driver!  I shouldn't have to get insurance." 
 "Well sir, that's why they are called accidents.  So you need to have 
insurance."  So, why do we require people to have insurance on their cars, but 
would not expect to have it on themselves?  Interesting question.  The problem 
is penalizing people who cannot afford health insurance.  If there is an 
'affordable' option available, then yes, I would say a very compelling argument 
could be made for requiring people to have health insurance.  Because if they 
don't, we're all going to end up paying
 anyway when their inability to cover their own bills contributes to our 
collective costs.




________________________________
From: Audry Nafziger <Audry.Nafziger@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tri-med@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 5:44:06 PM
Subject: [tri-med] get informed

Gary, 

I don't know if you are aware that half of those w/o health care are young 
people who opt to NOT get health care and the rest are not legally in our 
country.   So is that a good reason to FORCE everyone to pay for substandard 
rationed care?    

The gov't is counting on the masses to "drink the cool aide"  that is to not 
question them at all.  Don't be fooled by "statistics" they are USED by the 
govt (no matter which party controls) to bolster false "emergencies."  The 
truth on the numbers is easily accessible.  Really.


                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                      www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

Other related posts: