In an effort to spread awareness about our national health crisis, I've been talking to people about health insurance and asking straight out if everyone among their family and friends has it. And everyone has at least one person -- often whole family units without it.
And everyone I talk to is worried, but surprised to be talking about it. Most people don't realize that everyone is affected by this crisis. Maybe you've got insurance -- but is that enough to protect your families finances? And maybe you don't have health insurance.
Let's not worry alone any more. We're all in this together. Let's share our stories.
My oldest son (age 30) works for a small business that doesn't provide health insurance. I'd worry about that anyway but, he loves skateboarding and I've heard that a broken wrist could cost $8000 without insurance. That's a relatively simple problem. What if he gets cancer or gall stones? Or something chronic, like diabetes?
My sister (age 47), her fiancee (52) and one of my best friends (60) all are without health insurance. I'm thankful that they don't have major or chronic illnesses -- what would we do if something happened to them?
So far, my worries are theoretical, we're lucky. But should our health care system be founded on luck?
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Data released today by the Census Bureau show that the number of
uninsured Americans stood at 45.8 million in 2004, an increase of
800,000 people over the number uninsured in 2003 (45.0 million). The
percentage of people without health insurance, 15.7 percent in 2004,
was not significantly different from the 15.6 percent rate in 2003.
"The number of uninsured Americans was at an all-time high in 2004,
while the percentage who lack health insurance coverage showed no
improvement," said Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities. "These findings are disappointing, as
they follow three years of successive deterioration in health insurance
coverage. It is sobering that six million more people lacked health
insurance in 2004 than in 2000. Once again, Medicaid and the State
Children's Health Insurance Program played a pivotal role in keeping
the number of uninsured Americans from being even higher."
Key Findings from the New Census Data
- The number of people without health insurance was 45.8
million in 2004, compared to 45.0 million in 2003 and 39.8 million in
2000 (see table below).
- The increase in the number of those
without insurance was focused among working age adults. The percentage
of working adults (18 to 64) who were uninsured climbed from 18.6
percent in 2003 to 19.0 percent in 2004 (an increase of over 750,000
people in 2004).
(snip)
- Lack of insurance was much more
common among those with low incomes. Some 24.3 percent of people with
incomes below $25,000 were uninsured, almost triple the rate of 8.4
percent for people with incomes over $75,000
- African-Americans
(19.7 percent uninsured) and Hispanics (32.7 percent) were much more
likely to be uninsured than white, non-Hispanic people (11.3 percent).
- The
percentage of native citizens who were uninsured rose in 2004, while
the percentage of non-citizen immigrants who lacked coverage fell.
Nonetheless, non-citizen immigrants (44.1 percent uninsured) were much
more likely to be uninsured than native-born citizens (13.3 percent).