Here's a quick breakdown of the 46 million. This is the first time I've actually seen somebody attempt to figure out who these people are; like you, I am very skeptical of this bloated claim:
| Number | Description |
|---|---|
| 6.5 M | The "Medicaid undercount" actually are insured. They are enrolled in Medicaid or S-CHIP but didn't tell the census taker. |
| 4.5 M | People who are eligible for Medicaid or S-CHIP but have not enrolled. If they need care, the hospital or clinic generally enrolls them. In other words, they do not (as Obama claims) go bankrupt or without treatment. In any case, it would be ridiculous to overhaul our healthcare system to provide insurance to people who are already eligible for government assistance but have failed to avail themselves of it. |
| 9.5 M | Non-citizens. People will disagree about what portion of this group should receive government subsidized health insurance, but why should they be eligible at all? Keep in mind that being uninsured is not the same as having to pay (or pay much) for treatment. Illegal immigrants find ways to receive free or inexpensive treatment for themselves and their children. In general, I've read (though I can't find the source) that the uninsured receive about half the amount of money per capita to pay for medical treatment that the insured receive. |
| 10.0 M | This group earns an income more than three times the poverty line. As such, they can afford to buy medical insurance. Taxpayers should not be required to buy it for them. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? |
| 15.5 M | About one-third of Obama's 46 million actually are uninsured, cannot become insured simply by enrolling in a free program, are U.S. citizens, and cannot easily afford to purchase insurance. About 5 million members of this cohort are childless adults. It is understandable that many Americans would like to see the government do something for this group, or at least those members who are not young, childless, healthy adults with decent starter salaries who simply think it makes economic sense to assume the small risk that they will incur large medical expenses. But it is also understandable that many Americans favor targeting this group through incremental measures to assist them in purchasing insurance, rather than through a radical overhaul of our healthcare system at a massive cost. |
I am against Obama Care, as is my wife, even though we would benefit from this program, at least at first.
I am in favor of a sliding scale payment of those of us that fall in this category. I have no problem paying for insurance, its just that it should be affordable.