[NEohioPAL]National "Cover the Uninsured Week" May 1 - 7
Lee Kamps
lee921 at att.net
Mon May 1 08:19:05 PDT 2006
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This is an issue that is especially important within the arts community.
How many of you are either going without health insurance and hoping you
won't get sick or seriously injured? How many of you have found that health
insurance is very difficult to obtain or prohibitively expensive? How many
of you know of someone that has (or had) a serious illness or injury and
didn't have health insurance? How many of you have lost your health
insurance when you left a job?
This week is national "Cover the Uninsured Week". This is an annual event
sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to highlight the plight and
issue of the millions in this nation that lack adequate health insurance. It
is scheduled to run from May 1- 7 this year. To get further information on
this "Cover the Uninsured Week", you can access the following web site:
http://www.covertheuninsuredweek.org .
Here are some disturbing facts that have been reported and are well
documented that give urgency to this issue:
* The United States is the ONLY industrialized nation in the world that
doesn't have some kind of universal health insurance system where every
citizen is covered.
* The present employer based system of health insurance dates back to the
second world war. Currently employers pay an average of 80% of the health
insurance premiums in this country. This places a tax on business that
stifles the creation of new jobs as well as new businesses and cripples
American manufacturing. The problems with General Motors' health insurance
costs have been well documented. General Motors spends more for health
insurance than they spend for ALL the raw materials used in manufacturing
their vehicles.
* It has been almost 12 years since President Clinton's health insurance
initiative was killed in congress. Despite the unprecedented economic boom
from 1995 through 2000, the number of uninsured in the United States grew
from 31 million in 1992 to 38 million in 2000. Presently it is estimated
that there are more than 45 million people in the United States without
health insurance. Many experts feel that fugure will exceed 50 million
people by 2010.
* According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in a report last year,
the cost of the uninsured (uncompensated care and more expensive care
because treatment is postponed or ignored because of lack of insurance) now
exceeds the cost of covering all the uninsured.
* A hospital administrator I met around ten years ago told me that a
typical public hospital has more than 25% of their total billings written
off as "uncollectable" because of treating uninsured people with no means to
pay. He said that by law public hospitals must provide the same level of
treatment regardless of ability to pay. This increases the cost for those
with the ability to pay ( i.e. with health insurance) since those costs from
the uninsured are shifted to those with insurance.
* This nation's employment based health insurance program is also the
world's most expensive, consuming almost 15% of the nation's GDP. No other
nation, not even Europe's socialized programs or Japan's comes close to 10 %
of their nation's GDP. Also Europe and Japan have an older population than
the United States. If nothing is done, it is estimated that health care
spending will consume more than 20% of the United States' GDP by 2015. Who
could afford it then?
Congress has not taken any meaningful action to cover the uninsured and so
far only piecemeal changes have been proposed. However many states have
taken initiatives toward universal coverage. Recently Massachusetts enacted
a universal health insurance law mandating that every citizen be covered by
the end of 2007. Hawaii has adopted a single payor system for their
residents. Other states are considering some form of universal health
insurance for their residents. There is a precedent here; Canada's single
payor system of health insurance began in the province of Saskatchawan in
1967 before being adopted nationwide in 1971.
The time for piecemeal "incremental" change of the nation's health
insurance system is long past. "Incremental change" is like re-arranging the
deck chairs on the Titanic after the ship has hit the iceberg. This nation
cannot afford to have more than 45 million of its citizens without health
insurance. Check out the web site http://www.covertheuninsuredweek.org and
http://www.uhcan.org to see what you can do to change this nation's health
insurance "system".
Lee Kamps
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style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc =
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<DIV style=3D"DIRECTION: ltr">
<DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2><SPAN>This is an issue =
that is=20
especially important within the arts community. How many of you are =
either=20
going without health insurance and hoping you won't get sick or =
seriously=20
injured? How many of you have found that health insurance is very =
difficult to=20
obtain or prohibitively expensive? How many of you know of someone =
that has=20
(or had) a serious illness or injury and didn't have health insurance? =
How=20
many of you have lost your health insurance when you left a job?=20
</SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial><FONT=20
size=3D2><SPAN></SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial><FONT size=3D2><SPAN></SPAN>This week is =
national=20
"Cover the Uninsured Week". This is an annual event sponsored by the =
Robert=20
Wood Johnson Foundation to highlight the plight and issue of the =
millions in=20
this nation that lack adequate health insurance. It is scheduled to =
run from=20
May 1- 7 this year. To get further information on this "Cover the =
Uninsured=20
Week", you can access the following web site: </FONT></FONT><A=20
onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"=20
href=3D"http://www.covertheuninsuredweek.org/" target=3D_blank><FONT =
face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>http://www.covertheuninsuredweek.org</FONT></A><FONT =
face=3DArial size=3D2>=20
. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Here are some disturbing facts =
that have=20
been reported and are well documented that give urgency to this=20
issue:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>* The United States is the ONLY =
industrialized nation in the world that doesn't have some kind of =
universal=20
health insurance system where every citizen is =
covered.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>* The present employer based =
system of=20
health insurance dates back to the second world war. Currently =
employers pay=20
an average of 80% of the health insurance premiums in this<SPAN=20
class=3D690071615-01052006> c</SPAN>ountry. This places a tax on =
business that=20
stifles the creation of new jobs as well as new businesses and =
cripples=20
American manufacturing. The problems with General Motors' health =
insurance=20
costs have been well documented. General Motors spends more for health =
insurance than they spend for ALL the raw materials used in =
manufacturing=20
their vehicles. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>* It has been almost 12 years =
since=20
President Clinton's health insurance initiative was killed in =
congress.=20
Despite the unprecedented economic boom from 1995 through 2000, the =
number of=20
uninsured in the United States grew from 31 million <SPAN>in =
1992=20
</SPAN>to 38 million<SPAN> in 2000</SPAN>. Presently it is estimated =
that=20
there are more than 45 million people in the United States without =
health=20
insurance. Many experts feel that fugure will exceed 50 million people =
by=20
2010. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>* According to the Robert Wood =
Johnson=20
Foundation in a report last year, the cost of the uninsured =
(uncompensated=20
care and more expensive care because treatment is postponed or ignored =
because=20
of lack of insurance) now exceeds the cost of covering all the =
uninsured.=20
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>* A hospital administrator I =
met around ten=20
years ago told me that a typical public hospital has more than 25% of =
their=20
total billings written off as "uncollectable" because of treating =
uninsured=20
people with no means to pay. He said that by law public hospitals must =
provide=20
the same level of treatment regardless of ability to pay. This =
increases the=20
cost for those with the ability to pay ( i.e. with health insurance) =
since=20
those costs from the uninsured are shifted to those with=20
insurance.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>* This nation's employment =
based health=20
insurance program is also the world's most expensive, consuming almost =
15% of=20
the nation's GDP. No other nation, not even Europe's socialized =
programs or=20
Japan's comes close to 10 % of their nation's GDP. Also Europe and =
Japan have=20
an older population than the United States. If nothing is done, it is=20
estimated that health care spending will consume more than 20% of the =
United=20
States' GDP by 2015. Who could afford it then? </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Congress has not taken any =
meaningful=20
action to cover the uninsured and so far only piecemeal changes have =
been=20
proposed. However many states have taken initiatives toward universal=20
coverage. Recently Massachusetts enacted a universal health insurance =
law=20
mandating that every citizen be covered by the end of 2007. Hawaii has =
adopted=20
a single payor system for their residents. Other states are =
considering some=20
form of universal health insurance for their residents. There is a =
precedent=20
here; Canada's single payor system of health insurance began in the =
province=20
of Saskatchawan in 1967 before being adopted nationwide in 1971.=20
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The time for piecemeal =
"incremental"=20
change of the nation's health insurance system is long past. =
"Incremental=20
change" is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic after the =
ship has=20
hit the iceberg. This nation cannot afford to have more than 45 =
million of its=20
citizens without health insurance. Check out the web site <A=20
onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"=20
href=3D"http://www.covertheuninsuredweek.org/"=20
target=3D_blank>http://www.covertheuninsuredweek.org</A> and <A=20
onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"=20
href=3D"http://www.uhcan.org/" =
target=3D_blank>http://www.uhcan.org</A> to see=20
what you can do to change this nation's health insurance=20
"system".</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial =
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Lee=20
=
Kamps</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></DIV></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BODY></H=
TML>
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