Obama's Plan Wins at Covering the Uninsured

Reader Comments
Back to blog

The majority of american get their health insurance through their employers. Can you see this is the problem? We loose insurance coverage when we're out of work.
I can choose to go without car insurance but I can not do the same for health insurance. I can take the bus but I can not rid myself of cancer.
Thousands are death each year because "for profits" insurance companies denied needed treatment. This is worse than Al Qaeda.
Most of the costs of a car made by GM are for providing healthcare to its employees. How in the world are we going stay competitive if we don't fix our healthcare problems now?
Those who think that universal healthcare is "socialized" healthcare, think again. We need it to survive economically. That's called survival of the fittest.

Ryan of CA 11:17AM August 28, 2008

Corporate America sells 3500 calories of stuff they call "food" on average to each and every American each and every day. At that rate of caloric intake, no heath insurance can help you. If "Your Candidate" is seriously concerned about your health, he/she should first educate you about how to take care of yourself.
The best health insurance is "Exercise daily and have a sensible diet".
If you are not a lobbyist, "Your Candidate" does NOT work for you.
Trust me.

Pu, WeiTa of TX 9:49AM August 28, 2008

We must insure everyone has basic right at all cost. We must stop the greedy, manipulative, bourgeosis to help those vulnerable poor people. In the name of the people, we must nationalize all private method of production and have central committee to redistribute those jobs to more worthy people. We must in the name of the people crush all counter-revolutionary and send their greedy soul and their seeds to political retraining camps like Kolyma. Power to the people and death to the enemies

C. So of NH 7:53PM August 27, 2008

The article is good. The headline is very misleading! Is this meant to promote an Obama agenda? The article says the results are "very, very, very preliminary." The healine says "Obama's Plan wins." Very biased, to the say the least.

Zane Waltz of AZ 5:26PM August 27, 2008

According to the Census Bureau, someone is: considered “uninsured” if they were not covered by any type of health
insurance at any time in that year.
In other words, anyone changing jobs was counted in this number ... wondering how many that is? In 2005, it was over 50 million (both voluntary and involuntary).
Also included: people who qualified for medicaid or SCHIP, but weren't actually enrolled in the programs.
If we're are going to stand a chance of fixing the US Health Care system, we need to look at the statistics openly and honestly, and not enter with preconceived notions of what is broken, and worse, what needs to be done.
Unfortunately, it seems that most people have made up their minds about the problems and solutions are, based on very incomplete data.

David of CO 5:05PM August 27, 2008

Would someone please help me understand why government control of personal health and economic choices, such as whether or not to purchase health insurance coverage, is a good thing? Why do so many people assume that the government must eventually ensure that everyone has health insurance? Is personal health insurance coverage a national security issue? Why should the government get involved in health insurance at all?
It would be wrong for me to drink up expecting every in the bar to help pay my tab. It would also be wrong for me to make unhealthy lifestyle choices expecting my neighbors to help pay my medical bills. And it would be equally wrong for me to engage in risky behavior expecting the government to force my neighbors to purchase health insurance coverage in order to help pay my medical bills.

Tweedy50635 of IA 4:33PM August 27, 2008

If you can't afford children and all that comes with it, don't have them. If you choose to buy Ipod instead of insurance, live (or not) with the results. Not my responsibility to pay for your bad decisions. The 47m number is bogus, the study is biased and neither candidate properly fixes the root causes.

v racer of GA 4:05PM August 27, 2008

I don't know why people keep coming back to this number that the Census Bureau provides; the way they compute it, makes it virtually meaningless in trying to identify what ails health care in the US.
For a more detailed discussion on what this 47 million uninsured means, go to:
http://playingdevilsadvocate.com

David Kottcamp of CO 3:42PM August 27, 2008

For profit health care is immoral and should be illegal. The system we have now is only there for those who can afford it and lets anyone else whither and die. We should be ashamed, such a rich country and so little concern for our people. Just look at how Europe and Canada deal with health care for excellent examples of how it can and should be done.
A single-payer system would provide basic health care for ANYONE in this country, yes even those pesky illegal aliens. We get the bill for them anyway in write-offs, taxes an higher premiums. Just get over it and calculate it into the bottom line.
And the beauty of the single-payer system is that anyone with money can still always buy better services. You can pay now or you can pay later, but we will all pay eventually. Why ruin families and lives by letting corporate welfare and greed define our health care system? I guess it just makes good business sense, but what about thinking of the people for once?

Steve Meiers of CA 3:26PM August 27, 2008

I don't know why everyone is so fixated on this number; Hillary even mentioned it in her speech at the Democratic Convention last night. The truth is that it's calculated in an odd manner, and provides little insight into what actually ails health care in America.
I've spent some time digging into this commonly quoted statistic at: http://playingdevilsadvocate.com/

David Kottcamp of CO 3:18PM August 27, 2008