Report: Jobless Struggle With Health Coverage

[OhioChick]

Source: AP

Most Not Eligible For Coverage Under Medicaid

POSTED: 2:42 pm EST February 6, 2009

WASHINGTON -- Most low-income people who lose their jobs are also without health insurance, a report released Friday concludes.

A study by the advocacy group Families USA said 54 percent of the nation's unemployed cannot afford private insurance and also are not covered under Medicaid.

The report focuses on middle-class and lower-income workers with annual incomes of about $44,100 for a family of four, or about double the poverty level.

Only one in five unemployed workers within that income level has private insurance or military coverage. Meanwhile, only one in four unemployed workers at that level got coverage through Medicaid, the government sponsored insurance program for the poor.

In December 2008, there were an estimated 5.8 million people out of work with incomes below twice the poverty level, and about 3.1 million of them did not have insurance, Families USA estimated.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/health/18658464/detail.html

[w4rma]

1. Somebody get on Rahm's ass and tell him to quit blocking Dean for HHS so we can get started on

Universal Healthcare. Bradley is a good choice too.

[glowing]

2. This is one big fat DUH!!! I could have told you that and pocketed the money

spent on the report. Cobra expensive, uemployment benefits not adequate, no jobs to be had, part-time has no bennies. We've needed healthcare for a long time in this country.. but noooo, we seem to masachists and vote for Pubbies.

[appleannie1]

3. They needed an investigation to figure that out? DUH

[No Elephants]

8. Maybe they needed a study to get story covered or to help

raise money? Check out the group that produced the report: http://www.familiesusa.org/about/

[Xipe Totec]

4. The perversity of the system is stunning

Designed to fail just when you need it most.

Heck of a job, pugs, and a special "thank you" to Ronnie Reagan, for giving us HMOs.

[tucsonlib]

6. Actually, It Was Nixon Who Gave Us HMOs

Though Ronnie loved 'em, too. I'm trying to think of one program, event, law or project initiated by a Republican administration that didn't turn to shit. Okay, they won the Civil War and freed the slaves. But since then.......?

[Abq_Sarah]

7. Yeah, well

We controlled the congress in 1973. It was our HMO legislation he signed. ;)

[No Elephants]

9. History of universal heath care in the U.S. at

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/a_brief_history_universal_health_care_efforts_in_the_us.php

[Xipe Totec]

14. Managed care

Managed care is a concept in U.S. health care which rose to dominance during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, ostensibly as a means to control Medicare payouts. Ronald Reagan had supported legislation in California during his term as Governor there as a way to stem rapidly rising costs to California's Medicaid (named Medi-Cal) Program adopted earlier in his administration. The program was allowed as a Medicaid "waiver." At the time it was called the "Pre-paid Health Plan Program. A series of contracting scandals with a number of prepaid health plans caused reforms in CA and prompted passage of the HMO Act by Congress. Reagan later promoted HMO's nationwide after he became President, and they spread relatively quickly through the health insurance industry. Managed care usually refers to a PPO, HMO, MCO, or POS plan. The spread of managed care reflected its role as a primary mechanism through which corporations have tried to transform U.S. health care from a not-for-profit human service into a for-profit business.

The rise of managed care was touted by the U.S. health insurance industry as a way to lower the rate of medical inflation in the 1990s. But managed care has not been successful in lowering the rate of medical inflation. In fact, U.S. medical inflation is now two or three times the rate of overall inflation, as it was during much of the 1980s.

http://www.consumersresearchcncl.org/Healthcare/Optometrists/opt_healthcare.html

[eridani]

5. How long are we going to tolerate these amoral shitstains who keep killing people?

Single payer universal health care now!! HR 676 NOW!!

[Delphinus]

10. Yes! n/t

[unkachuck]

15. yes, yes, yes....

....and let's hurry up and build that single payer universal healthcare system before wall street, banking, pentagon and the corporations suck up all the money....

[Vinca]

11. So what about the people still working but not making enough

to purchase insurance? Then there are those of us who can't buy insurance at any price because of pre-existing conditions or because we're over 50. I'm starting to feel like an invisible person.

[Bonobo]

12. Umm, no shit, Sherlock. nt

[Solly Mack]

13. Amazing headline