Tech & Biz

87 Million Americans without Health Insurance

by Jordan Yerman | March 4, 2009 at 09:15 am

1288 views | 52 Recommendations | 8 comments

During the past two years, 87 million Americans went with out health insurance. That's one third of the population. I was one of them, and it's no fun when your version of healthcare is taking vitamins and looking both ways when crossing the street.

The report assessed how many people under age 65 went without either public or private health insurance for some or all of the two-year period covering 2007 and 2008. People 65 and older are covered by the government's Medicare program.

Of 262 million Americans under 65, 33 percent were uninsured at some point during those two years, according to the report. This included 60.1 million adults and 26.6 million children and teens up to age 18, according to the report.

While (at least on paper) basic-level healthcare exists for those below a certain income level, most find that they fall between that level on the low end and a viable income in which all basic needs (health, rent, food, clothing, transportation) can be met, hence the high but unsurprising number above. PDFs of current poverty guidelines for Medicaid qualification are available via the Department of Health and Human Services.

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generaldecay

at 11:47 on March 4th, 2009

This is simply a situation I could not imagine living in. We complain about our national health service all the time over here but I, for one, am grateful for it. It's not perfect but it's free healthcare which I think is a basic right in any tax-paying society.

eastvanray

at 15:53 on March 4th, 2009

I wonder how many of them chose other prioroties over health insurance. I have met people who claim they cannot afford health insurance yet they drive a new car, live in a nice house, wear nice clothes, eat out in resturaunts, drink alcohol and smoke cigatettes. I am not taking anything away from those who truly cannot afford coverage but some people simply have different priorities.

jazzyzazzy

at 16:20 on March 4th, 2009

Everyone should have the right to medical care for free.Yes! A human right.

eastvanray

at 16:28 on March 4th, 2009

Sure. No problem but be prepared for bad quality, huge waiting lists for most proceedures and massive tax increases to pay for it all. That's the situation here in Canada anyway. If that is what you want then have at 'er!

generaldecay

at 06:19 on March 5th, 2009

It's not the situation in the UK at all, eastvanray. And we've had free health care for years.

arunabhdas

at 16:35 on March 4th, 2009

What kind of third-world country is it anyway?

mtammas

at 22:18 on March 4th, 2009

Canada's universal health care system, like all health care systems, can and should be improved. However, more private for-profit introduction is not the answer, in my opinion.

Looking at other models is a good idea. But we need to really look at them and not cherry pick one piece here, and one piece there. Nor can we allow people to misrepresent other systems, which is what many private health care proponents in Canada do, and in B.C., exactly what the provincial government did when they did their little swing through Europe a few years ago.

And in Canada, we must remember that we have the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to contend with. It must be considered when contemplating opening an area of health care up to the private sector.

Most of the problems with Canada's health care system have been created by design and are not the product of a flawed system or of happenstance. I don't want to see a superior plan discarded because some want to turn disease and injury into a commodity and make a profit on them.