just adding to the Good News...number of uninsured in 2010...59 million

[w8liftinglady]

you know...broadcasted by those commies at the CDC
http://cbs4.com/health/uninsured.health.care.2.2004156.html#addComments

CDC: Number Of Uninsured Americans Spikes In 2010



While much was made over the roughly 30-35 million people who had no health insurance when health care reform was passed, the actual numbers of uninsured may be much, much worse. According to the CDC, just fewer than 59 million Americans had no health insurance for at least part of 2010.

Many of those who went without health insurance in 2010 suffered from conditions or diseases that needed medical treatment, according to Reuters. The problem with that many people uninsured will be that it will swallow the budgets of Medicaid and states as those without health insurance head to emergency rooms to get treatment.

The CDC indicated that nine percent of adults lost private insurance, but only 5 percent of those adults picked up public insurance help. Twenty-two percent of adults between 18 and 64 are uninsured, according to Reuters.

In addition to the uninsured in 2010, more than 30.4 million people went for more than a year without health insurance through the first quarter of 2010.

The CDC said that 15 million of the people who had no health insurance had high blood pressure, diabetes, or asthma.

[w8liftinglady]

1. sadly,we were "only" 48 million in 2007

http://www.cdc.gov/features/uninsured/

[w8liftinglady]

2. and those whack-jobs at Morbidity and Mortality adding their two bits

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm59e1109.pdf

In 2009, an estimated 58.7 million (19.5%) persons of all ages had no health insurance for at least part of the year preceding their interview (Table 1). Of these 58.7 million, 48.6 million (82.8%) were persons aged 18–64 years, and 9.5 million (16.2%) were persons aged ≤17 years. From 2008 to 2009, the number of children without coverage for at least part of the year decreased 5.0%, from 10.0 million to 9.5 million. In contrast, the number of adults aged 18–64 years in this same insurance category increased 5.7%, from 46.0 million to 48.6 million. In 2009, 25.7% of all adults aged 18–64 years were without coverage for at least part of the preceding year; 15.4% reported being uninsured for more than a year (Table 1).
In the first quarter of 2010, the estimated number of persons without coverage for at least part of the year increased by 400,000 (0.7%), from 2009 to 59.1 million. The number of persons aged 18–64 years without coverage for at least part of the year increased by 1.3 million (2.7%) to 49.9 million, and the number without coverage for more than a year increased by 1.3 million (4.5%) to 30.4 million (Table 1).

[w8liftinglady]

3. and my Luv Muffins in texas want to do away with the only safety net...Medicaid

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/112410dnpolheathcare.3c8f384.html

Conservatives target health care overhaul, Medicaid in Texas

07:50 AM CST on Wednesday, November 24, 2010
By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
[e-mail]
AUSTIN – Tea party members and other conservative activists pushed state lawmakers Tuesday to vote to nullify the federal health care law and get out of Medicaid, though one GOP senator said the largely federally funded program pays for nursing home care for the elderly and disabled and is "not all bad."

Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina and dozens of others said the Legislature should declare the federal law void and also refuse to set up a state health insurance exchange.

"Stand sovereign for Texas," Medina said at a joint hearing of two Senate panels. "Tell them no. And then get Texas out of health care," in part by dismantling the state's Medicaid program, she said.

Leading Republican senators said lawmakers hadn't decided how to respond to the federal law, though they found themselves arguing against suggestions that the state forgo billions in federal Medicaid funds and cut off current recipients.

Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, responded to one activist by saying nearly two-thirds of the Medicaid budget pays for the elderly and disabled to live in nursing homes.

"Medicaid takes care of a lot of ... the Greatest Generation, and it's not all bad," said Deuell, a doctor. Earlier, he blasted the new law as a big tax increase and a preliminary step toward a single-payer health system, a characterization his Democratic colleagues disputed.

At times, the hearing turned raucous. One woman distributed copies of the U.S. Constitution to lawmakers, saying, "We need a refresher on that." A disabled veteran challenged the flags behind the dais, saying that because they had fringes they were inappropriate. Others questioned why they could testify no longer than three minutes, a common limit in legislative hearings.

Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, though, drew applause when she said Texas could cut 70 percent of its health spending if people made better lifestyle choices.

"People need to assume some personal responsibility for their health care," said Nelson, head of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

There was no applause later, though, when health policy analyst Anne Dunkelberg of the progressive Center for Public Policy Priorities countered that the federal law requires "family responsibility." In 2014, working families who receive subsidies to buy private plans will pay between 15 percent and 20 percent of income on premiums and other costs, she said.

Earlier, Tom Suehs, head of the state Health and Human Services Commission, testified that while some Texans favor pulling out of Medicaid, the program accounts for 15 percent of health spending in the state – and 70 percent of Medicaid is federal dollars.

Also, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Geeslin testified that premiums for individual health policies have gone up about 7 percent since Sept. 23, when some of the federal law's patient protections took effect, such as no lifetime limits and no refusals for children with pre-existing conditions. He said he didn't know what average annual inflation for those policies is.

[w8liftinglady]

4. and,gee- the way-back machine

http://archive.hhs.gov/news/press/1995pres/951121.html

Statement on CBPP's Report
on Republican Medicaid Proposal,
by Donna E. Shalala,
Secretary of Health and Human Services

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The findings of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which indicate that the Republican Medicaid proposal would severely underfund this vital safety net program, confirm my worst fears. The Center's study shows that the $163 billion cut in federal Medicaid funding being made by the Republicans in Congress is likely to be exacerbated by a cut by the states in their contribution to Medicaid, perhaps by as much as $257 billion over the next seven years. Combined, this is a cut of $420 billion. This is a staggering amount. When this all-too-realistic projection is factored in, the earlier estimate that nearly 8 million Americans would lose health coverage is clearly too conservative.
The Republican Medicaid plan places millions of women, children, senior citizens and individuals with disabilities in double jeopardy. As this analysis shows, states too will face an impossible task because of the huge shortfall in funding. This will place governors and state legislatures in a position in which they would almost certainly be forced to eliminate health care coverage for their most vulnerable citizens -- pregnant women, young children, senior citizens in nursing homes and those with disabilities. That is why President Clinton must and will veto this unfortunate piece of legislation.

For 30 years, both political parties have worked to protect the health of the American people. As Speaker Gingrich meets with Republican governors today, it is my hope that they will focus their discussions on improving this vital program and reemphasize its essential role in providing access to necessary health care for 36 million Americans.

[w8liftinglady]

5. kicky-poo