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The Current Situation
In 2006, an estimate of 45 million Americans were uninsured.1
Who are the "uninsured"? Are these Americans able to
get insurance? Can they not afford insurance? Do some
chose not to have a policy?
Some of those uninsured
live in households having over $50,000 in annual income.
This group of individuals makes up 38% (17 million) of the
uninsured.2 Another 20% (9 million) of the
uninsured live in households having more than $75,000 a
year.3 Many young people are uninsured,
constituting over 40% (over 18 million) of the uninsured.
"They spend more than four times as much on alcohol,
tobacco, entertainment, and dining out as they do for
out-of-pocket spending on healthcare." 5 Combining
all of these different factors, the real number of the
uninsured, those who cannot possibly afford healthcare, is
about 8 million (18% of the 45 million).6
Universal Healthcare Elsewhere in the World
Many countries around the world have universal healthcare
policies. How has this worked out for them? Many
American journalists have looked to these countries as
examples for the basis of national programs.
Brian Schwartz, one of
these writers, wrote in the Hawaii Reporter:
"The Canadian Medical
Association Journal reports that in one year, 71 Ontario
patients died while waiting for coronary bypass surgery and
over one hundred more became 'medically unfit for surgery.'
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that '109
people had a heart attack or suffered heart failure while on
the waiting list. Fifty of those patients died.'
'Physicians across Canada
are in an advanced stage of burnout due to work conditions'
which 'causes them to retire early...or simply leave,' a
former Canadian Medical Association president told the New
York Times. He 'attributed much of the problem to
technological shortages and the powerlessness doctors feel
when patients complain about long waits for treatment.'
'Access to a waiting list
is not access to healthcare,' wrote Canadian Chief Justice
McLachlin when striking down legislation banning private
insurance in 2005. Last year a New York Times read: 'As
Canada's Slow-Motion Public Health System Falters, Private
Medical Care Is Surging.'
And England? The BBC
reports that 'up to 500 heart patients die each year while
they wait for potentially life-saving surgery.' The Times
claims that a British woman 'will be denied free National
Health Service treatment for breast cancer if she seeks to
improve her chances by paying privately for an additional
drug.' A Daily Telegraph headline reads: 'Sufferers pull out
teeth due to lack of dentists.' Another article says that
'doctors are calling for NHS treatment to be withheld from
patients who are too old or who lead unhealthy lives.'”
7
What the Candidates are Saying:
Many of the candidates are demanding universal health care
policies. Here's what they are saying.
Hillary Clinton:
“…I’m proud that I tried to get universal health care back
in ’93 and ’94. It was a tough fight. It was kind of a
lonely fight. But it was worth trying. And of course, I’ve
said many times that I made mistakes… I intend to be the
health care president...” 8
“Hillary’s American Health
Choices Plan covers all Americans… It puts the consumer in
the driver’s seat by offering more choices and lowering
costs…
*Affordable: …the plan provides tax credits for working
families to help them cover their costs. The tax credits
will ensure that working families never have to pay more
than a limited percentage of their income for health care.
*Available: No discrimination. The insurance companies can’t
deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.
*Reliable: It’s portable. If you change or lose your job, you
keep your health care.” 9
Barack Obama:
“Obama’s Plan to Cover the Uninsured: Obama will
create a new national health plan to allow individuals
without access to affordable insurance coverage to buy
coverage similar to that available to members of Congress.
The Obama plan will have: Guaranteed eligibility.
No American will be turned away from any insurance plan
because of illness or pre-existing conditions.”
10
John McCain:
“John McCain believes that insurance reforms should increase
the variety and affordability of insurance coverage
available to American families by fostering competition and
innovation.
Reform the tax code to
eliminate the bias toward employer-sponsored health
insurance, and provide all individuals with a $2,500 tax
credit ($5,000 for families) to increase incentives for
insurance coverage…
Families should be able to
purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines, to
maximize their choices, and heighten competition for their
business that will eliminate excess overhead,
administrative, and excessive compensation costs from the
system.
Allow individuals to get
insurance through any organization or association that they
choose: employers, individual purchases, churches,
professional association, and so forth…” 11
More information on
universal health care issues in America
Sources:
1. U.S. Census Bureau,
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583.html
2. "Uninsured in America." Stuart Browning, 2007.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. "Universal Health Care: The Wrong Prescription." Brian
Schwartz, 2/29/08.
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?4904d58c-6296-45df-83ea-73b0b3f13f98
8. Democratic Presidential Debate, transcript,
September 26, 2007, Hanover, NH
9.
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/
10.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/
11.
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ba2f1c-c03f-4ac2-8cd5
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