in this country.

I read so many varying figures and percentages. This is where I am in my process of thinking through this particular,and important, aspect of this debate....

...The number of uninsured, whatever that is, went DOWN from 2006 to 2007 according to the census bureau, although it is expected to rise when the 2008 numbers come out.

...The President says there are 47 million uninusured. However, since no bill actually insures those NON citizens living here subtract at least 12 million. Now we are at 35 million. In that 35 million are about 9 million folks who make OVER 75,000 per year and should be able to afford health insurance.

...Their is an non determined number of EMPLOYED folks who choose not to offer up the money on payday to help pay for health insurance at work thus are counted as un insured.

If these numbers are even close to accurate and I have no reason to doubt them, as they come from various places mostly the census bureau (Sort of makes you understand why this administration wanted to make the census bureau a bit more political..but of course ACORN can do it), BUT IF they are anywhere near accurate, it makes me wonder....

There is a thread begun by BTK on why we dont spend our efforts on fixing medicaire and social security before trying to insure everyone....there is a thread started by DILLYWHO on the difference between a statesman and a politician......

Why are we spending all this time on insuring less than 10% of our citizens instead of working on cutting the costs of healthcare, fixing social security and medicaire ?

Originally Posted by Bucco

in this country.

I read so many varying figures and percentages. This is where I am in my process of thinking through this particular,and important, aspect of this debate....

...The number of uninsured, whatever that is, went DOWN from 2006 to 2007 according to the census bureau, although it is expected to rise when the 2008 numbers come out.

...The President says there are 47 million uninusured. However, since no bill actually insures those NON citizens living here subtract at least 12 million. Now we are at 35 million. In that 35 million are about 9 million folks who make OVER 75,000 per year and should be able to afford health insurance.

...Their is an non determined number of EMPLOYED folks who choose not to offer up the money on payday to help pay for health insurance at work thus are counted as un insured.

If these numbers are even close to accurate and I have no reason to doubt them, as they come from various places mostly the census bureau (Sort of makes you understand why this administration wanted to make the census bureau a bit more political..but of course ACORN can do it), BUT IF they are anywhere near accurate, it makes me wonder....

There is a thread begun by BTK on why we dont spend our efforts on fixing medicaire and social security before trying to insure everyone....there is a thread started by DILLYWHO on the difference between a statesman and a politician......

Why are we spending all this time on insuring less than 10% of our citizens instead of working on cutting the costs of healthcare, fixing social security and medicaire ?

Kinda reminds you of Professor Harold Hill ("The Music Man") when he had to create a crisis in order to sell musical instruments - "There's trouble in River City, and it's p-o-o-l." It worked!

The moral is; you can acquire a lot of money by creating a mountain crisis out of a molehill situation, and your friends will all get rich on the hysteria.

Originally Posted by Bucco

in this country.

I read so many varying figures and percentages. This is where I am in my process of thinking through this particular,and important, aspect of this debate....

...The number of uninsured, whatever that is, went DOWN from 2006 to 2007 according to the census bureau, although it is expected to rise when the 2008 numbers come out.

...The President says there are 47 million uninusured. However, since no bill actually insures those NON citizens living here subtract at least 12 million. Now we are at 35 million. In that 35 million are about 9 million folks who make OVER 75,000 per year and should be able to afford health insurance.

...Their is an non determined number of EMPLOYED folks who choose not to offer up the money on payday to help pay for health insurance at work thus are counted as un insured.

If these numbers are even close to accurate and I have no reason to doubt them, as they come from various places mostly the census bureau (Sort of makes you understand why this administration wanted to make the census bureau a bit more political..but of course ACORN can do it), BUT IF they are anywhere near accurate, it makes me wonder....

There is a thread begun by BTK on why we dont spend our efforts on fixing medicaire and social security before trying to insure everyone....there is a thread started by DILLYWHO on the difference between a statesman and a politician......

Why are we spending all this time on insuring less than 10% of our citizens instead of working on cutting the costs of healthcare, fixing social security and medicaire ?

Bucco: It is hard to believe any of these numbers that we are given. I heard for the first time the other day about people making over $75K choosing not to have insurance. In fact one of my co-workers making over $100K has a brother that earns even more than him without insurance. He is normally even tempered but he was very agitated knowing he is paying for his brothers choice.
Yes I for one would love to see us fixing Medicare and SS .
It is laughable to see the politicos just throwing everything up in the air and see what sticks.

I just heard the president say "there are no plans being considered that will insure illegal immigrants"....then.......

Why does he always use a number of uninsured that INCLUDES those illegal immigrants in almost every speech ???

If any version of the reform bill includes prohibitions against insurance companies denying a policy based on pre-existing conditions, we will probably see the number of uninsured go up rather than down. Why would someone lay out big bucks for an insurance policy if you are healthy? Why not wait until you have a major illness to get insurance? The net result will be even higher insurance costs since only the unhealthy will be in the insurance pool, thus driving the cost of insurance up.

I was at a town hall meeting yesterday. Congressman Lemar Smith - R. said that the number of truly uninsured is around 8 million. This was after you subtract those who qualify for their employer's plan and do not take, the illlegals, those who qualify for medicare and medicaid and have not enrolled.
We live in a community of 22,000 with about a large amount of retired folks.
It was interesting going to the meeting to see one in action. But then Congressman Smith is a Republican and the majority of those attending are Repiblican so the meeting was very civil.