Inspired by the Matt Taibbi piece in Rolling Stone referenced this morning by DemFromCT I asked myself this question: Is there any way to figure out the number of people eligible or receiving benefits from part of the existing patchwork of single payor health care systems already active in this country, that are also conservative registered voters bent on electing people who want to repeal health insurance reform?
Well, no, not with what I found. But you can whistle fairly close to that number in the dark...
These are numbers from both 2004 and 2008.
I recognize that it makes the numbers less accurate than I'd like (I imagine the number of registered independents grew and the registered Republican numbers went down in 2006-2008 and are back up as of 2010.)
There were 55 million registered Republicans as of 2004
There were 44 million registered independents as of 2004 (which makes Republicans and independents total 99 million.) Also from the same link, Democrats numbered 72 million as of 2004 totaling 171 million as of 2004 out of the 201.5 mil eligible to vote at that time.
Other party or non registered would be the remainder. That 30.5 million as of 2004 includes some social conservatives as well as progressives...and of course there is the subset of progressive voters in that group that I was unable to find references to pull out who are likely to support single payor.
Here’s a rough breakdown of 2008 single payor eligibles/beneficiaries, minus spouses and children of Tricare or VA beneficiaries and minus Medicaid-only beneficiaries. (Dual eligibles are counted in the Medicare number.)
43 million medicare beneficiaries (a very small part of those under 45 (on medicare due to disability) are under 18 and ineligible to vote, so I decreased the total by 1 percent.) I did not count Medicaid because many of them also have Medicare, therefore they'd duplicate.
25 million veterans
1,477,896 Active duty military.
I did not count reservists. because they may be insured somewhere else. (Through work, etc.)
So, totaling those numbers up that equals 69.5 people either:
- likely eligible for VA, or
- actually receiving VA benefits
- eligible or receiving Tricare (the active duty military insurance)
- And the number of Medicare beneficiaries.
Here's a second rough breakdown of those whose health insurance premiums may be taxpayer funded. Many of these I have no quarrel with, it's just the subset of Federal beneficiaries yelping against taxpayer funding of healthcare that I have trouble with.
The approximate number of Federal employees in 2008 (excluding postal workers) is 2,744,000
I left out postal workers in part because of data presented at this link:
So the total number of people getting their premiums paid by the government or outright eligible or receiving single payor healthcare is at least 72 million people.
They’ll never do it, but if they were ethical, Republicans and Tea Partiers would identify themselves if they are/have been on single payor already before they go to a campaign fundraiser or a rally and yell about the repeal of health insurance reform. (I refuse to call it "Obamacare.")
Dear potential/incumbent legislator: are you one of the Republican/Tea Party member or others who have sounded off against government funded healthcare?
Are you now, or have you ever been the recipient of taxpayer funded healthcare benefits? Did you hate them?/ Did you do everything possible to politic against taxpayer funded healthcare?
Why___ or Why Not?___
If so, why are you campaigning against the very thing that may have kept you well in the past and probably will keep you well in future?
For those whose premiums are paid by the taxpayers, do you think it is fair or unfair (in your individual case) for you to accept taxpayer funds to pay for your premiums (which provide you the access to care) when you say again and again that you despise healthcare paid by the taxpayer?
Don’t you support our troops, and our veterans? Don’t you want them to continue to receive the well earned benefits they are (at least eligible for, if not getting?)
It’s a level of hypocrisy even above Rand Paul’s two faced money based opposing positions on Medicare. "Doctors should be able to make a comfortable living, " which he couldn’t do without Medicare, as others have said.
It’s just nuts to me. Between this stuff and the Economic Policy Institute stuff mentioned by Keith Olbermann last week I ask our side
again...Run on the facts, please!!!!!!!
I’ll be back later to fix if requested or answer replies