From Article:
"5. Young adults with no children are especially vulnerable: Programs such as Medicaid and Medicare insure millions of parents, children and disabled people. But low earners without dependent children are offered few resources when it comes to health insurance; they comprise 58% of uninsured Americans as a result. At 30%, those ages 19 to 29 have the highest uninsured rate."
"Highlighting the plight of childless uninsured adults is also a welcome counterbalance to media coverage of the issue, which often focuses on uninsured children and families. Amid the grim statistics, the foundation mentions a bright spot: the fact that recent expansion of children's health-care programs has helped lower the number of uninsured children. The notion that young people should have access to adequate health care has long drawn bipartisan political support; reaching that same goal with adults has, until now, proven far more difficult to accomplish."
Which Americans Are Unisured?
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Well, as a childfree person, this really hits close to home. I think it is disgusting that 58% of CF do not have insurance because they do not qualify (due to no kids!).
CF individuals get screwed out of a lot of assistance. I'm sick and tired of assistance being based on whether you have kids or not. A sick person is a sick person.
But low earners without dependent children are offered few resources when it comes to health insurance; they comprise 58% of uninsured Americans.
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You know what? The more I think about this, the more pissed off I get. It is so wrong on so many levels.
I am sick and tired of seeing women with numerous kids from different baby-daddies getting every handout available ONLY because they are irresponsible and do not know how to practice birth control.
Why do we reward these individuals?
It should be the other way around: No kids = free health insurance, assistance with bills, food, etc...the more kids you choose to have = less assistance available.
Guaranteed- women would learn how to use birth control or they would quickly learn to say NO to sex and realize that nobody will die that evening because of the lack of sexual intercourse.
You know, I remember going to school and sitting next to a single woman with kids. I had told her that I thought it was great that she was back in school, seeing she had several young children. She said it was a piece of cake because she didn't have to pay for anything. Practically free tuition, supplies and books. She even got gas money to take the kids to their free daycare!
She was telling me how great it was that she had kids because she didn't have Health Insurance and when she needed surgery, the Hospital took care of all of the bills. No hassle, no letters, no phone calls.
She just filled out the paperwork the day she left the hospital and she wiped her hands clean of it.
"Why do we reward these individuals? "
Because we don't want their children to make the same mistakes. It isn't right that the US doesn't help those who don't have kids either, but I can see the reasoning behind wanting to ensure that the kids grow up to be healthy and smart. Unfortunately your government doesn't do a very good job of this, but the theory is sound.
(10-15-2009 11:16 AM)Ziggy Wrote: [ -> ]"Why do we reward these individuals? "
Because we don't want their children to make the same mistakes. It isn't right that the US doesn't help those who don't have kids either, but I can see the reasoning behind wanting to ensure that the kids grow up to be healthy and smart. Unfortunately your government doesn't do a very good job of this, but the theory is sound.
Well, I can't find that stats right now, but the welfare to work program doesn't have great results (from what I remember). Quite a high percentage that go through training end up back on welfare.
Maybe that has changed, but I honestly remember reading that.
This is an issue near and dear to me because of a medical incident I had. Quick summary: I was vomiting blood. It's about as fun as it sounds. Even though I was going through this I actually delayed going for care not because of superstition or ignorance but because I worried about cost. Here I am, a highly educated person in a first world nation and cost was preventing me from getting care.
The options available to me?
Medicaid MNP (Medically Needy Person). Oh wait, I make more than 205 dollars a month. Denied.
Medicaid MNO (Medical Needs Only). Oh wait, I have over two grand in the bank for a safety cushion. Denied.
PA Medical Assistance. Sorry, you are unemployed and have no children. Denied.
Private Charitable Organizations: Sorry, you're the wrong religion and don't have kids. God Bless You! Denied.
Hospital: We'll waive your costs because it's a tax write off. Approved. Thank you come again.
While I'm glad that the hospital waived my charges it is very disturbing to realize that I delayed treatment because of money.
The lack of any basic preventative care horrifies me because I wonder what other problems I have. The doctors and nurses at the hospital kept asking me about my primary care provider and seemed dismayed that I didn't have one. One comment I made "I think he's retired for twenty years now. He might be dead. I'm not sure." and they just didn't seem to know how to take that. I mean with so many uninsured you'd think they'd at least realize that many people have had any basic medical care in years and yet they don't get it.
Beachbum,
No need to look for the stats, I'm quite willing to agree with you. I'm referring to the theory of something, rather than the practice. There is a belief that with limited resources the children have to become the focus of those resources because it is too late for the adults. Take Afghanistan for example... a population that considers themselves lucky and above-average if they live to 45 years old. I know that this is an extreme example, but I also know that there are many people who are helping to rebuild that country who believe that it is useless to help adults and all efforts should be focused on the children. Is this best? It's questionable but not straight-forward as they do have something of a point... by the time they are 21 years old Afghans are likely half-way through their life, and the scattered education and health resources aren't as beneficial when spent on them (more money required to change the problem, with fewer years left to benefit from the intervension).
In a country that should technically have figured out how to distribute enough health-care for all its population by now? I cannot understand it at all and think that it's barbaric. Then again, my country's newest conservative party (Wild Rose Alliance) isn't even willing to come out against same-sex marriage ("We don't want churches to be forced to perform them" which is nothing unusual) or abortion ("It should be a choice, but a woman should pay for it" which isn't perfect but it's far from the Pro-Life crap that is spewed by some) so there's obviously something of a gap between the priorities of my country and the U.S.
(10-15-2009 06:20 PM)Eddy Wrote: [ -> ]Hospital: We'll waive your costs because it's a tax write off. Approved. Thank you come again.
And that's the reason it's idiotic to oppose a public healthcare option. Insurance indirectly pays for people without insurance anyway.
Glad you got your medical needs taken care of. I've gotten discounted healthcare by telling them I'm "self pay" and asking them if they can work out something. I got something like 60% off physical therapy by getting on their "charity" plan and paying each visit in cash.
(10-19-2009 04:41 AM)mark1030 Wrote: [ -> ] (10-15-2009 06:20 PM)Eddy Wrote: [ -> ]Hospital: We'll waive your costs because it's a tax write off. Approved. Thank you come again.
And that's the reason it's idiotic to oppose a public healthcare option. Insurance indirectly pays for people without insurance anyway.
That's exactly it. A lot of people wind up going to the ER for something like a flu because they don't have medical insurance so they can visit an outpatient clinic instead of the ER. This means the ER is tied up with people who shouldn't be there which makes the people who need it more wait.
In the end people like me who do have a legitimate need have their bills waived (or go into bankruptcy) which makes the hospitals eat the costs. Insurance also goes up because that hospital may get a tax write off but they sure as hell won't lose money when they can just charge the people with insurance more.
Actually a lot of hospitals are in deep financial trouble. In this area there have even been hospital closures. This is a huge problem for rural areas - imagine if the hospital in your town closes - for some people they are traveling 30+ miles to go to a hospital. No fun.
I am in a rural area. Luckily, a VA clinic and small hospital are in the town I work in, about 20 minutes/15 miles away. However, many of the small towns on the canadian border are 30 to 45 minutes from this hospital. There are actually Canadian hospitals that are closer, but since they are canadian and not american, they get sent to the one in the town I work in (unless its a critical emergancy).
I remember years ago I was single, barely employed, with no dependants. Trying to get assistance for anything ... medical, dental, food, anything ... nada, nothing for you ...
Drives me insane.
If I get sick, these are the (free) levels that I progress through (I can skip steps, when needed):
1. Call Telehealth - a 1-800- phone number that puts me in contact with a registered nurse at any time of the day. There can occasionally be an hour-long wait but the receptionist answers immediately and takes your info and the nurse returns your call (mine was returned after 20 minutes, after initially advertising a 1.5 hour wait). The nurse takes down all your comments, asks a bunch of relevant questions, then gives you advice on what you should do (drink more fluids, take Tylenol to reduce fever, etc) and when you should go to the next step.
2. Go to a local clinic - This can be interchangeable with (3), except in my case I have a clinic that is 3 blocks from my home. They don't know me as well but if I'm sick then the proximity is great! These are in community centres and non-profit, and overall a really good idea.
3. Visit my regular GP - I love her and go for yearly check-ups and planned events, but she's too far for me to visit when I'm ill (this may seem weird as you might question the point of having a regular doctor, but I've never had a problem with the local clinics).
4. Visit the ER - Only done when the first bunch fail. I'd only go if my life was in danger and/or it was an imminent problem that occurred when the clinics are closed (broken bones or needing stitches in the middle of the night).
The first two options have been developed within my memory - public clinics when I was relatively young so maybe 20 years ago? and Telehealth was in 2000 or so - and they have definitely proven successful. They were started because of the overcrowding of ERs as we also have problems with a lack of money and ER staff.
That is a good summary of the options available in cities in Ontario.
Just to clarify and add a little, we have " Walk-in Clinics" ( #2) available for regular injury or illness.
Between number 3 and 4, I would add the newly developed "Urgent Care Clinic" for injuries and illness that is beyond a walk-in clinic, but not as serious as an emergency room visit.
Last week, as I was gardening and removing wire items from the garden plot, a piece of dirt-encrusted and rusty wire sprang up about 8-10 inches and hit my eye.
In Ontario, due to the type of injury, an urgent care clinic was the place with an eye expert and the correct equipment.
(PS My eye is almost back to normal and I will not have to look and talk like a pirate)
Just think if all those young, mostly-healthy individuals were required to have health insurance? With the recent health care bill that passed, they will be required or else they'll have to pay a fine. If more healthy people were in the health insurance pool, then everyone's premiums would seemingly go down or we would get better coverage for the same price. Plus health insurance for a healthy, young individual is usually $100 or less a month.