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August 10, 2009

Illusions and Delusions About the Uninsured That You Should Know About

Topics: Political News and commentaries

Peter Hannaford, who was closely associated with the late President Ronald Reagan for a number of years and is the author of Recollections of Reagan, suggests we not allow the Obama administration to delude us about the number and make up of the uninsured. Apparently, the majority of the uninsured are either illegal immigrants (as many as 12 million), or earn between $50,000 and $75,000 annually (8.3 million), or earn more than $75,000 a year (8.74 million) and elect not to purchase health insurance. And according to Hannaford, the real objective of Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill isn't looking for a way to cover the so-called "chronically uninsured" because their real agenda is to convert the nation's health care system to a universal, single-payer, government-operated one:

The 2005 CBO report said that the majority of the uninsured are either illegal immigrants (as many as 12 million), or earn between $50,000 and $75,000 annually (8.3 million), or earn more than $75,000 a year (8.74 million) and elect not to purchase health insurance. That adds up to 29 million of 46 million total.

Of the rest, approximately 8.8 million are without insurance for four months or less and then return to the ranks of the insured. That leaves some 8.2 million Americans the Kaiser Family Foundation's analysis describes as "chronically uninsured."

There are some questions Dr. Obama never addresses in his informercial press conferences and "town hall" meetings. Meanwhile, his allies in Congress concern themselves only with the minutiae involved in negotiating bills they can get to the floor for a vote.

One very big question is, should U.S. taxpayers be required to pay for health insurance for millions of alien immigrants and people who make enough to pay for their own coverage but choose not to?

Another is, can't Congress and the Obama Administration devise a way to cover the "chronically uninsured" without upending a system that covers close to the 90 percent of the population and with which some 70 percent of those covered tell pollsters they are satisfied?

A third question: Why is there no talk about tort reform to curb outlandish malpractice awards?These have driven the cost of malpractice insurance through the roof for many physicians. The cost is spread throughout the system. (We know the answer: the trial lawyers' lobby is a potent contributor to many Democratic lawmakers.)

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Posted by Richard at August 10, 2009 6:36 AM

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