Health Care - Uninsured Americans

The Bible tells us to do unto others as we would have others do unto us. If I were uninsured, I would want others to come to my aid and demand solutions. I believe access to a basic standard of health care is a human right that is essential to the pursuit of happiness. People need to talk to their neighbors, church members, friends, family, business leaders, and government leaders and say that it is important that all Americans have this basic right. With this country’s economic prosperity, we can and should find ways to provide health care for everyone.” [Dr. Richard Land]

Faith Leaders Join Largest National Campaign to Cover Uninsured (Christian Post), April 29, 2006

A new study analyzing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that a significant number of working Americans in every state do not have health care coverage, with more than 20 million working adults not having coverage. In eight states, at least one in five working adults is uninsured. In 39 other states, at least one working adult in every 10 does not have health care coverage. The report further reveals that in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, between one-fourth and one-half of all uninsured adults were unable to see a doctor when needed in the past year because of cost . . . The report released today was prepared for RWJF (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) by researchers at the State Health Access Data Assistance Center, located at the University of Minnesota. Additional findings, of surveyed adults ages 18-64, include:

•The problem is pervasive among workers in every state. States with the highest rates of uninsured residents among employed adults include Texas (27 percent), New Mexico (23 percent), Louisiana (23 percent), Florida (22 percent), Montana (21 percent), Oklahoma (21 percent), Nevada (20 percent), and Arkansas (20 percent). States with the lowest uninsured rates among employed adults include Minnesota (7 percent), Hawaii (9 percent), Delaware (9 percent), and the District of Columbia (9 percent).
•Uninsured adults are unable to see a doctor when needed. Nationally, 41 percent of uninsured adults report being unable to see a doctor when needed in the past 12 months, due to cost, compared to just nine percent of adults who have health care coverage.
•Uninsured adults are less likely to have a personal doctor or health care provider. Nationally, 56 percent of adults without health care coverage say they do not have a personal doctor or health care provider, compared with just 16 percent of people with health care coverage.
•Adults who are uninsured are much more likely to report being in poor or fair health than are adults who are insured. Nationally, one in five uninsured adults (20 percent) say their health is fair or poor, compared with nearly one in nine adults with health coverage (12 percent).
Working but Uninsured: Millions of Employed Americans Uninsured and Unable to Get Medical Care (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) [Accessed May 19, 2006]

“The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found.

“Moreover, more than half of the uninsured adults said they were having problems paying their medical bills or had incurred debt to cover their expenses, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based private, health care policy foundation.

“The study of 4,350 adults also found that people without insurance were more likely to forgo recommended health screenings such as mammograms than those with coverage and were less likely to have a regular doctor than their insured counterparts.

“The report paints a bleak health care picture for the uninsured … About 45.8 million Americans did not have health insurance in 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“The percentage of individuals earning less than $20,000 a year without insurance rose to 53 percent, up from 49 percent in 2001. Overall, the percentage of people without insurance rose to 28 percent in 2005 from 24 percent in 2001.

“The study also found that 59 percent of uninsured with chronic conditions such as asthma or diabetes either skipped a dose of their medicine or went without it because it was too expensive.

“One-third of those in that group visited an emergency room or stayed in a hospital overnight or did both, compared to 15 percent of their insured counterparts