Who is left uninsured by the health-care reform bill?

[NNN0LHI]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/03/who_is_left_uninsured_by_the_h.html

<snip>Here you're seeing 159 million Americans on the employer market, 44 million on Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, 25 million on the non-group/other market, 24 million in the exchanges, and 22 million left uninsured. The uninsured category has gone from the second largest to the absolute smallest. And though there's no public option, there are a lot more people eligible for public programs. But all in all, only 40 million Americans are in a different insurance situation than would otherwise have been the case. Three-quarters of them would've been otherwise uninsured, and a few more would've been on the individual markets or getting insurance through a small business who's now using the exchange.

But some of you have asked why there's an uninsured category at all. There are a couple of reasons. About a third of the remaining uninsured are illegal immigrants, who are ineligible for coverage through the program. Then there are some folks who have incomes below the individual mandate threshold. Under the terms of the individual mandate, if coverage would cost more than 8 percent of their monthly income, they can skip it. Other people will decide to pay the individual mandate's $750 penalty rather than purchase insurance. Still others will be eligible for public programs such as Medicaid but won't sign up.

So the population of the uninsured will be far reduced, and primarily composed of illegal immigrants, the few people who can't afford their insurance and aren't getting subsidies to help them purchase it, and people who have decided to pay the penalty rather than purchase insurance.

[Oregone]

1. Everyone uninsured is left uninsured. It doesn't magically cover everyone the day it passes

You gotta go out and buy your insurance from the private market, if not already covered.

[pnwmom]

2. No bill could ever have magically covered everyone the day it passed.

Including single payer.

Once a law is passed, then the Federal government has to write the rules, which requires public notice, input, etc. This is a process that takes months, even if there are no other complications. And the bigger the change that the law makes, the bigger the process would be.

[Oregone]

3. No, but my point is that it doesn't extend insurance to everyone, despite some proclaimations

Its not 'universal', anymore than it would be universal housing to tell everyone to go buy a house.


Its not even going to extend coverage to everyone in 5 years either. The latency isn't my point, but rather the mechanism by which is it relying on people to suddenly become insured (buying it themselves).

[kestrel91316]

4. Well, once the RECONCILIATION BILL passes we will know exactly what we have.

THEN and only then can we answer your question. Until then, it's just speculation.

[ipaint]

5. When he gets to the point of explaining who won't have access

to HEALTH CARE despite whether they are insured or not, if he even understands the difference, let me know.

Tool.