How Health Overhaul Would Affect The Uninsured

Click To Read Article

Medicaid: health care for the needy; a federally and state-funded program
Subsidies: a form of financial assistance paid to a business or economic sector
Census Bureau: US government organization responsible for producing national population estimates

The uninsured have, for a long time, suffered more than those actually covered with health insurance. There are several statistics reinforcing this theory, some of which are

• the 2008 census informed the census bureau that more than 46 million Americans (about 15% of the U.S. population) were uninsured - with the recession going on today, that rate may have increased.
• approximately two-thirds of uninsured Americans earn less than four times the poverty level (such as $22,050 for a family of four)
• nearly 25% of the uninsured are eligible for Medicaid, but have not applied.
• 80% of the uninsured are American citizens, and 15% are undocumented immigrants.
• more minorities contribute to the uninsured statistics than whites.
• the age group that is most commonly uninsured are those between 19 and 29, due to the fact that their wages are too low to afford [decent] coverage, or their employers do not provide coverage.

I believe that these statistics (which are only to name a few) have come to be because of where America's money has been focused towards - war. With so much money being focused on our soldiers in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, America has lost focus of where money should be primarily focused on - the health and education of our citizens.

As the article states, "The Democratic proposals would require most people to buy coverage," this led to my predicting that the uninsured percentage rate would decrease. Although people would have to buy coverage, I predict that costs would be more flexible in agreement with their incomes and families.