Obama's Plan Wins at Covering the Uninsured
Nobody's celebrating over the new Census Bureau figures showing that the number of people without health insurance dipped slightly last year, to 45.7 million, from 47 million in 2006. It doesn't indicate a trend, say experts.
Things seemed different when 2007 began. Back then, many experts were cautiously optimistic that other states might follow Massachusetts's lead and aim for universal healthcare or at least expand coverage significantly for more children and uninsured adults.
In fact, children were almost entirely responsible for the gains in the number of insured, thanks to government programs like Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. But SCHIP's future is unclear: Last year, Congress twice passed and Bush twice vetoed expanded funding for the program; it was extended until next spring without additional funding.
Now, voters are looking to the upcoming presidential election for healthcare reform, and John McCain and Barack Obama have laid out very different plans for how they'd fix the system. How would each alter the number of uninsured? The Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution have come up with an estimate. The numbers are "very, very, very preliminary," cautions Roberton Williams, a principal research associate at the Urban Institute who is one of the study's authors. Researchers will come up with a more complete analysis next month.
Based on their preliminary analysis, Democratic candidate Obama's healthcare reform proposal—which would require children to have healthcare coverage and provide subsidies to make insurance affordable, among other things—would reduce the number of uninsured by 18 million in 2009 and 34 million by 2018. McCain's plan—which would eliminate the tax break employees get for employer-sponsored coverage and replace it with tax credits for people to buy their own coverage—would trim the number of uninsured by a much more modest 1 million in 2009, rising to a maximum of 5 million in 2013.
Of course, these numbers rely in part on assumptions that the researchers made about the candidates' proposals, filling in details where none have yet been supplied. In addition, as the report notes, "changes in plan design could significantly affect coverage." So don't take those figures as gospel. It's one more piece of information to consider as you prepare to head to the polls this fall.
Tags: healthcare | health insurance | presidential election 2008 | Barack Obama
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Reader Comments
No health Coverage
In July my mom noticed a lump on her left leg. It was painful to the touch and hot. She thought it was nothing to be worried about but after several days it didn't go away and only got worse. It was difficult for her to walk and there was noticeable weakness in her leg. After a week, she was feverish and decided it was time to go to the doctor. At that point she had some trouble breathing. Her delay in going to the doctor (or even the hospital) was because she didn't have health insurance. At the doctor's request, an ultrasound of the leg was done, and the diagnosis was Deep-Vein Thrombosis. She was in grave danger of a clot ending up in her lungs or heart which could be fatal. She was sent straight to the hospital. After being treated with blood thinners, she was released after a week eventhough her peculiar fevers (which only came on at night) persisted. There was also one or two episodes of nausea. No one at the hospital ever mentioned this or tried to explained why. That same week she went to see her general physician, who after a couple of phone calls found out results of a CAT scan that was done while my mom was at the hospital. The scan results showed numerous shadows on my mom's liver, which were thought to be cancer. This confirmed that, in a rush to get my mom out of the hospital -- because she was inunsured -- the doctors failed to tell me that there was a likelhood of this diagnosis. This was a dispicable act of inhumanity. I took my mother back to the hospital upon this revelation and a week and a colonscopy later, she was diagnosed with stage IV Colon Cancer, which had metastasized to her liver and lungs. The cancer had released a chemical into her blood that was causing coagulation and therefore the blood clot in her vein. And to think they let my mother walk out of the hospital knowing this was a possibility only two weeks prior.
The only thing thats keeping her alive right now is charity care from the same hospital that sent her home knowing she had cancer. Its where she receives chemo to keep the cancer at bay and also helps her receive Lovenox injections that prevent blood clots. She has not been given any other health care options at this point in time.
In order for my mom to get the care that can potentially extend her life past the 1-5 years that she's been given, she would need to have health coverage of some kind. This will enable her to go to a place like Memorial Sloan Kettering, where they have options that are more far reaching and effective than just chemo and radiation. Surgery may be an option. However, places like Memorial Sloan Kettering do not have charity care and, as a result, the uninsured have little to no options or hope.
Obama is the man
HANDS DOWN I WOULD PREFARE TO GO WITH OBAMA'S PLAN IN THAT IT BENEFIT MORE OF THE UNINSURED INDIVIDUALS. AS SMALL BUSINESSES CONITIUE TO GROW IN AMERICA, LOTS OF SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYEE ARE LefT WITH NO INSURANCE. THEREFORE SINCE I INTEND TO OWN MY OWN BUSINESS SOMEDAY, I WOULD LIKE A PALN THAT CAN HELP BE PROVIDE BETTER HEALTH SERVICE FOR MY EMPLOYEES.
Kids need insurance -
SCHIP is the American success story! With today's announcement of Congress not voting on it, it’s absolutely critical that a new administration quickly re-authorize SCHIP before its expiration on March 31, 2009. Visit www.iwanttobehealthytoo.com to send a strong message to Congressional leadership and presidential candidates that America’s Future Starts With Healthy Children.
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