Obama Camp Uninsured Analysis

Nearly 48 million Americans had no health care coverage in 2005, and the number will

So why don’t these people get insurance? Well, as is so often quoted, “money makes the world go round.” When it comes to health insurance however, it is not the world, but only America that seems to have a problem with providing health care for a reasonable price to its citizens. 55 percent of uninsured people answered that the reason they are without the safety of insurance is the reason everyone expects--they cannot afford it (NRHA 1).

1. Over 41 million Americans have no health care insurance according to the U.S. Bureau of Census.

become available. In 2009, the number of uninsured Americans was close to fifty million. In an economy where unemployment is at an all time high, millions of Americans are without

Findings from Squires and Blumenthal (2016) showed that only 8.9 percent of Americans are now uninsured, and since the Affordable Care Act went into effect in 2010 there are 20 million more Americans who now have health insurance and access to affordable care.

The US has recently adopted a healthcare policy aimed to get more Americans insured. This policy is named the Affordable Care Act in 2010. “In 2013 there were 42 million uninsured individuals in the United States. “(The Common, pg. 153) There has since been increase in individuals who are covered either by private insurance or by Medicaid/Medicare which had a coverage increase with the new policy. It is believed that millions of people will now have health insurance compared to previous years.

This equates to ruffle 16.6% of the total U.S. population of 305 million in 2008. This figure has decreased significantly since the inception of the law which predicted that the law will help 32 million people. They revised this figure to 26 million people after many states changed the requirements for Medicaid. In 2014 10 million people have signed up for health insurance through the different methods offered via the Affordable Care Act. This has assisted in reducing the amount of uninsured from approximately 42 million in 2013 to 32 million. This may seem as great strides to some, however, in my eyes I believe that this is not the best performance. The reason for my stances is due to the United States’ position as the leading economy in the world compared to all other nations whether developing or developed. Other developed nations such as those of Germany where 92% of the population is covered by a health insurance system that was created in 1883 and is now subsidized partially by the government based on income, or France where almost 100% of the population is covered by health insurance largely subsidized by the French government. Based on the amount of citizens covered by the Affordable Care Act I say the leading economy can improve greatly.

While there is not one solid reason for the health of the American people to decline, we are led to believe that the uninsured people in the United States are the reason of it. According to the article, A Creeping Catastrophe according to polling firm Lake Research Partners “while 47 million Americans are uninsured, 91 percent of voters in the 2008 election had some form of health insurance” (Armstrong and Wayne 3). This equal to 15% of the USA population from that year. Now, of this 15% uninsured, how many are unemployed, homeless or really in need

Even with employer-sponsored programs and federal programs for those who qualify, many Americans are uninsured. Over 46 million Americans had no health insurance in 2006, and 86.7 million went without health insurance at some point in 2007 and 2008 (“Health Care Issues”). Why has the number of uninsured risen so drastically and why are employer-sponsored programs dwindling?

Across the country, Obamacare is failing the American people with high costs, few options, and broken promises of lowering healthcare costs. Under Obamacare, premiums have risen by over 40% on average, and over 100 percent in some places making unaffordable health care services. In 2017, five states have only one insurer on the Obamacare marketplace and nearly a third of all counties have only one insurer. According to the McKinsey Center, the number of eligible Americans with only one insurer to choose from increased from 2 percent in 2016 to 18 percent in 2017. Compared to 2016, in 2017 enrollment fell by 500,000 people and enrollment is millions of people below what was initially estimated.

There are a number of reasons why the United States needs the Individual Mandate and a number of reasons why the United States do not need the Individual Mandate. Since the ACA’s implementation, there has been a steep decline in the uninsured rate compared to the past when there was only Medicare and Medicaid. The nation’s uninsured rate is at its lowest level. According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in the early months of 2015, it was estimated that 16.4 million people have gained insurance coverage. This includes people who gained coverage at the end of 2013, and young adults who gained coverage before 2014. This is one of the reasons why the United States needs the Individual Mandate.4 The graph below shows the Percent

In 2010, the United States took the first tangible step toward universal health care coverage, with the legalization of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent report the total population of the United States is nearly 309 million people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). In 2009, it was estimated 49 % of the population was covered under an employer sponsored insurance plan (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009). The same 2009 data reported an additional 29 % of the population was covered under some form of government or public program (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2009). Leaving 17 % of the U.S. population vulnerable without any form of health insurance coverage

I. More than 43 million Americans reported being uninsured throughout 2002 and millions more lack coverage for shorter periods. The lack of insurance negatively affects not only the uninsured, but their families, the communities in which they live, and the country as a whole (The Institute of Medicine).

Financial burdens greatly limit the system’s accessibility; however, many in the U.S. are unable to fully utilize either option. Census estimates from 1999 indicate that 43 million Americans live without health insurance even though 75 percent of them have a full-time job or live in a household with at least one member working full-time (Mueller, , 5) In addition to the totally uninsured, census estimates also reveal that approximately 42 million other people in the U.S. are underinsured. This means that they have some insurance, but are still unable to afford all of their needed prescriptions, tests, visits to physicians, or hospital

I did some research on other people and how they agree with you as well. By doing so I was able to see there were 47.9 million Americans which do not have health insurance. I believe that all