GraniteGrok

Chaz Proulx is sounding like a socialist.  Over at NH Insider, he has posted twice about the new "improved" S-CHIP program (you know, the one that continues the infantalization of America by making adults in their 20's with family incomes up to $80K equivalent to 5 year olds in families in the lowest quintile).  Gee, why can't we believe that adults should be responsibile for their families and themselves?

Add to that the "discourse" of about 45 million uninsured people in the country (now the number has gone to 47 million).  Yet, it seems that this number, while bandied about quite often and loudly by the Dems in support of universal healthcare, seems to be flawed.  In fact, it is quite deceitful as it effectively is a coverup.

The original number quoted is from this study. The JunkyardBlog reported on this and provided a break down the first time and an update.

Here's my condensed version:

• 9 million of the 45 are illegal immigrants, leaving 36 million - 12% of the population. 
• That means that there are 35.6 million Americans who don't have health insurance. That's 12.3% of the population, rather than the quoted 15.3%.
  
• So of the 35.6 million uninsured from the Census Bureau survey, we can estimate that about half didn't have insurance for an entire year (most of rest lost their coverage for only four months or less). Those 18 million people are the "chronically uninsured," and are the people that policy changes should address. Or, I should say more accurately, they are the only group of people whose plight warrants major legislative intervention.

Why half?

• There are 8.3 million uninsured people who make between $50,000 and $74,999 per year
• There are 8.74 million who make more than $75,000 a year.

That’s roughly 16-17 million people who ought to be able to “afford” health insurance because they make substantially more than the median household income of $46,326.

Why?  Try young men and women who don't believe they need insurance, or those wealthy enough to self insure.

Money line:

Let's pause here for a moment and consider what the Democrats are proposing. What they are saying is that they want to radically change the way health insurance is handled in this country because 1 person in 8 is without insurance. That is, they want to force 7 out of 8 people to change their health care system to accommodate that one person.

That's right - for 6% of the population, we are going to disrupt one of the largest healthcare systems in the world by turning it upside down, and driving 94% of the US population nuts while doing so.  Madness, shear madness.

Remember, healthcare is always rationed.  The question is will it be rationed by government or by the marketplace?

I have more faith in the marketplace than with politics.