New Study: 60 Million People Lack Access to Basic Medical Care
The number of medically disenfranchised grew three times faster than the total U.S. population, a clear sign that that access to primary care is worsening and reaching middle-class American families, even among those who do have insurance.
Nearly one-fifth of all Americans do not have access to primary care. That’s simply unacceptable. We have a moral obligation to provide at least basic health care to all Americans. But just in case you don’t care about those 60 million people, there’s another study that says the problem impacts even the insured:
REPORT: Cost Of Uninsured Adds $1,100/Year To Premiums Of Insured Families.
When the uninsured cannot pay for the care they receive, providers shift costs to Americans with insurance in the form of higher premiums…. [A]n updated analysis by Ben Furnas and Peter Harbage concludes that a failure to continuously cover all Americans accounts “for roughly 8 percent of the average health insurance premium“:
Yes, health care is a big issue. Thanks for posting the numbers re: what we pay if we are insured to cover for those who aren’t. It’s going to get worse, too.
“Lack basic care” is code word for “wait until the last minute and then it’ll be death or REALLY EXPENSIVE”.
Republican stance on the issue: “No one is denied health care in Minnesota.” I think that must mean no one is turned away from the emergency room….? which is terrible, and terribly expensive for me.
Our state already has a lot of $ sunk into health care, and what about that.
Freedom of speech is not punishable by law, but the tele prompter gas bag is working on it, but what the gas bag and his lackey’s do not know is that Rep Bachmann is just a tip of the ice berg, the war front is just over the horizon and with the gas bag escaping to the internet to spell out his BS is gas on a fire.
I don’t have the faintest idea what this comment means.
I think he’s threatening people who disagree with him on issues with violence and revolution. He also believes Barack Obama is going to take our freedom of speech away.
Oh and he believes the new right wing talking point about Barack Obama not being able to speak without a teleprompter.
I’m pretty sure this guy would love to march around with his fellow dittoheads and shoot Liberals.
I like how D.G Mehus really backs up his arguments of President Obama not being able to talk with out a teleprompter (key issue by the way, not to be ignored) and how hes going to take away freedom of speech. Thank you D.G for speaking the truth just wait and Obama might start stabbing senior citizens and summon Allah to blow up the pentagon!
Okay, obviously this is set not to take my pasted e-mail. I received a message from the DFL Progressive Caucus about a bill being introduced at the federal level re: Single Payer Health Reform
Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders, again called H.R. 676
The new bill stands in sharp contrast to the reform models being offered by the White House and by key lawmakers like Senators Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.).
The most fiscally conservative option for reform, single payer slashes private insurance overhead and bureaucracy in medical settings, saving over $400 billion annually that can be redirected into clinical care.
Call Amy Klobuchar, or e-mail her, if you like the Single Payer idea.
Physicians for a National Health Program, a membership organization of over 16,000 physicians, supports a single-payer national health insurance program.
Now is the time, I think. We need cheaper, and I’m tired of paying for everybody else. I’m tired of paying 80/20 even in Network.
I’m tired of things that aren’t covered. I’m tired of people who lose thier house because their son gets sick. I’m tired of social darwinism. Out with social darwinism.
A few questions (honest ones, not rhetorical):
1) Under Single Payer, would individuals still be able to have self or employer-based insurance?
2) Would access to healthcare be free for choosing, or would you basically get a government PCP?
3) There would have to be a formulary - every single payer system in the world has one. How do we determine which drugs or services are in that formulary, and how do we know government officials and our congressmen haven’t been “bought” by the drug company, device maker, or hospital down the road? Lots of people would stand to gain a ton by being in the formulary. (I’d rather have an individual make the choice based on their needs than the government make the choice based on a politician’s self interest)
4) If you could still see a doctor you wanted outside the Single Payer plan, and pay him or her at his retail rates for the visit, wouldn’t there be a risk of that doc no longer wanting “Single Payer” patients? That happens all the time already with Medicaid.
5) There perhaps wouldn’t be insurance company fees in a Single Payer system, but there would be operational, administrative, and federal staffing fees. All of those administrations in Washington don’t run for free. Gotta factor those fully in.
6) If Single Payer chose to lower costs by simply not reimbursing hospitals or doctors for the cost of providing care (which already happens with Medicare and Medicaid payers), would you be OK with hospitals closing, and would-be good doctors going into Business or Law instead of Medicine? Most docs I know do it at least in part because it provides a good living, in addition to being a vocation that helps society.
Hey DTheM, http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php
Also, I believe this is true: Within most single payer systems, there is some privatization and if you have the money you can spend it how you’d like. It’s just the percentage of people who find help when they need it in the medical system under a state run program (most or almost all, and therefore the system will be good because most of us would be upset) as compared to now, where there is a smaller percentage of people using that system (and those people are ill-treated since they are the minority within the system).
Side note: Interesting to see how they’d help workers who are currently wmployed within the private insurance realm and that a lot of workers are still needed.
we do need to get some kind f health care!!!! Its sad the damn doctors wont even see you with out it!!
Hey, nice tips. I’ll buy a glass of beer to that man from that chat who told me to visit your site
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE US DO NOT HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE. WITH THE RISING COSTS OF HEALTH CARE AND NOTHING BEING DONE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITHOUT INSURANCE WILL ALSO RISE. IT ISNT CHEAP RIGHT NOW. IF SOMETHING ISNT DONE I WISH YOU ALL LUCK WITH GETTING INSURANCE. YOU LOOSE YOUR JOB TOMORROW YOUR INSURANCE IS GONE. HOW YOU PAYING FOR IT THEN?