Did you know that more than 46 million Americans lack health insurance?

Question

I had no idea, I just found this out right now. Wow, that is like 1/6th of the country.

The report was that OVER 46 million lack health insurance, so I rounded the figure to 50 million. If the report said exactly 46 million lack health insurance it would be more like 1/7th. And to the penis face who said I am a "dead beat" for asking this question you really disgust me and I think you should be picked up by the back of your shirt collar, thrown into the Atlantic ocean and never allowed back on American soil.

Answer 1

Being without insurance does NOT mean not having health care. Everybody, insured or not, can get the health care they need - it cannot be denied to them.

And in the US, an uninsured patient is likely to get quicker treatment for a serious disease than a state-insured patient in Canada, who often have to wait months for CAT scans and other major operations and diagnostic test, and whose health deteriorates while waiting.

If people are so gung-ho about getting these people insurance, why not start a charity, led by all those extremely wealthy liberals - Soros, Oprah, Hollywood, Kennedys, Rockefellers, etc -to get these people low to no-cost health insurance?

Or is it the normal case of people not putting their money where their mouths are, but think *I* should have to pay for it?

Answer 2

I believe this is true and it is only going to get worse. Many jobs do not offer health insurance. Not everybody can afford to self-insure. Many people have health conditions which can preclude them from getting insurance on their own as well. It doesn't surprise me, but what DOES surprise me is that more aren't in the same boat. It is possible however this does not include the under-insured.

I read one time that many of these people are young people just starting out in the workforce; this may be partially true, but given what I know is happening in the labour market, I find it totally possible that whole families can be doing without as well.

And to the individual who said people in Canada have to wait too long for health care, I LIVE in Canada. I never had to wait too long for health care. Yes, we may not get the treatment we need tomorrow, but care is delivered within clinical guidelines that are set by the medical profession. If somebody had an urgent situation, I've seen them get CT scans, angiograms and MRIs almost right away. Besides that, we don't have people going bankrupt over health care bills like they do in the U.S.

We don't have to put a mortgage on our house if we get diagnosed with cancer like they do in the U.S. True, people may not necessarily be denied health care, but they will be billed for it and if they don't pay, there will be collection agencies employed to collect it from you. If you still don't pay, bankruptcy is an option. The number one reason for consumer bankruptcy in the U.S. is unpaid medical bills.

Now that's not a good legacy to pass on to your grandchildren.

Answer 3

The shocking part is America pays more for health care per capita than either Denmark or Sweden. The percentage of tax used to fund medical in Scandinavia is less than the profits taken by HMO executives.

So It's no big deal Senator Frisk the X Senate Majority Leader is the owner of a HMO and lobbyist for the HMO industry.

If you want health-care all you have to do is give the plutocrats that own HMO's more money than they make now. Like Frist give him 270 billion dollars and he will help with the problem.

Take away their private Jets and you got health care for thousands of children of Wallmart employees that can't afford health care.

Go big Red Go

Answer 4

I am very aware of it, I am a 61 year old, male that don't have access to affordable health care. I have diabetes and it is becoming a problem, the free clinic's are full and it takes a month to get into them and if I go to the emergency room it could cost me my home and then I could add homeless to the problem. You see I am fully aware that so many people are in the same shape as I am and worse.

Answer 5

Sounds about right. Did you know they are NOT the poorest Americans? The poorest Americans have medicaid.

They are the middle class. The same ones that will have to pay for universal coverage. And they don't want to.

Some people opt out of insurance, by the way. Sound insane? Consider this: Most bankruptcies, due to medical bills, are people who HAD medical insurance until they got sick and couldn't work anymore.

This is a highly complex issue, and universal healthcare doesn't address it. The culprit, in my opinion, is the Insurance industry.

John 16 has it right, btw. Same here.

Answer 6

Yes.
Did you know that if we didn't get into an ill advised War with a country that did not attack us, could not attack us, and was no threat to us, and did not spend upwards to 700 BILLION DOLLARS of tax payers money (Supposed to be paid for with Iraqi oil $$, but we know that will happen as soon as the Iraqis actually get control of their oil), that money could have been put to use here in the US to help the working poor in THIS country?
but that wouldn't work, right? Supporting the weakest of our brothers may be what Jesus had in mind but it also is Socialism!

Answer 7

I knew there was a lot but not that meany. Now that is some crazy stuff. good thing there is help out there for all the people who dont have health insurance but all the tax payers have to pay for it.

Answer 8

No biggie. With the blatant failure of the health care system we have today - insufficient resources (including staffing), inadequate or even dangerous methods of treatment, corruption in the FDA and drug industries who approve and market drugs that kill us....are those who are uninsured really missing out on so much? More often than not medicine is just a quicker way to the suffering an dthe grave than the disease itself....

Answer 9

And did you know that 46 million Americans have the option of actuallly *gasp* BUYING health insurance, but elect not to do so?

Health care insurance is a commodity like any other. If these people don't care enough about it to spend their own money on it, why should I have to pay for it for them? I don't recall having adopted anyone.

Before someone starts yapping about a "right" to healh care insurance, let me point out that we all have a "right" to drive a Porsche, too...but nobody's advocating the gov't purchasing one for each of us, now are they?

Answer 10

Its not the crisis that its made out to be.

I had no insurance and I got sick. Phenomena.

I got everything I needed. Catscans even. (very expensive!!) What happens is I just mail them a puny amount every month. They told me that I could literally give the hospital a dollar a month and that would be fine.

The doctors gave me free pills. Don't let anyone scare you. No one is going to be left to die in the USA.

Everyone gets what they need whether they can pay or not.

FACT