New Data Show 45 million lack insurance in U.S.
From: HoofPrints (equsphotogphr_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 09/02/04
- Previous message: dwelsh46: "Re: Do I smell funny?"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 15:18:06 -0700
Also a link to a poll on the Bush or Kerry resolutions to healthcare for
americans.
Opinions
President Bush has said he would sign legislation that would cap damages
for pain and suffering at $250,000. Democratic rival John Kerry would
use non-binding mediation in all cases and bring sanctions against those
who file frivolous lawsuits but would not cap damages. Whose proposal do
you think would most ease the medical malpractice crisis?
The Bush proposal
The Kerry proposal
Neither
http://www.medscape.com/homepage
<begin New Data subject below
New Data Show 45 Million Lack Insurance in U.S.
Reuters Health Information 2004. © 2004 Reuters Ltd.
Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing
or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written
consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays
in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters
and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of
the Reuters group of companies around the world.
By Maggie Fox
WASHINGTON (Reuters) Aug 26 - More people went without health insurance
in the United States last year, with 45 million, or 15.6% of the
population, lacking any health coverage, according to a U.S. Census
Bureau report released on Thursday.
However, in part due to population growth, 1 million more people were
covered by health insurance in 2003 than in 2002. Nearly 85% of the
population, or 243 million people, had access to either private health
insurance or Medicaid, Medicare or other federal programs, the Census
Bureau said.
Many of those who lost insurance were employed, with employment-based
health insurance in 2003 covering 174 million people -- or 60.4% of
Americans -- down from 175.3 million in 2002 - or 61.3%, the statistics
show.
In 2002, 43.6 million people in the United States, or 15.2%, had no
health insurance.
U.S. government officials immediately fended off any criticism.
"These numbers will only get better," Health and Human Services
Secretary Tommy Thompson told reporters in a telephone briefing.
Thompson said tax credits and laws limiting medical lawsuits would help
make health coverage more affordable, as would the government's
controversial new Medicare prescription drug benefit.
He blamed the Senate for its failure to back all of President George W.
Bush's health care proposals, including one that would allow small
businesses and trade groups to pool together across state lines to get
insurance.
LINKED TO UNEMPLOYMENT
Commerce Secretary Donald Evans said health care coverage would improve
as employment grows. "In June of 2003, when this data was collected, the
unemployment rate was 6.3%. Now it is down to 5.5%," he said.
But Karen Davis, president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Commonwealth
Fund, noted that many of the uninsured were employed.
"Most of those losing coverage work full time: in 2003 there was an
increase of 700,000 full-time workers without health insurance," Davis
said in a statement.
Health care is a hot election year issue, with surveys showing voters
consider it a top concern.
Both Bush and his Democratic opponent, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry,
have plans for expanding health insurance for Americans, although
neither proposes substantial changes to the heavy reliance on privately
funded health care.
Kathleen Stoll, Health Policy Director of the left-leaning health care
policy group Families USA, agreed that an improved economy might improve
health coverage.
"The increase in the number of people without health coverage is the
direct result of a stagnant economy, double-digit health care cost
increases, and employers passing on more and more of those costs to
their workers," she said in a statement.
"The only silver lining in this year's report is that public programs -
particularly Medicaid - covered more people last year and cushioned the
loss of coverage in the private sector."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
{ Disclaimer: Non Existent words contained within this poast
were created in response to the Paperwork Reduction Act.}
{If you have a problem with that,
take it to the Environmentalists Complaint Dept.}
[NOTE: It has come to my attention that water pressure booster pumps are
available to city dwellers.
Because of this new development, notify your local Environmentalist
Complaint Dept. to begin
a campaign to *ban* the sale of these pumps to those living within a
municipality.
(They don't need more water pressure just so their sprinklers can run
water down the sewers.)]
The above is a public service announcement from the Committee for
*Responsible* Use of Water Pressure Booster Pumps.]
A Free Thinker.
- Previous message: dwelsh46: "Re: Do I smell funny?"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
|
