Of the supposed 46 million without healthcare:
- 10 million are illegal immigrants who have no right to US health insurance.
- 9 million have incomes over $75K a year and CHOOSE NOT TO have it or who don’t have it for 6 months or less.
-12 million are eligible for Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance program but didn’t sign up.

So at least 31 million are uninsured in ways that require no fix from the federal government. So the government wants to screw it up for the 250 million who are happy with having the best care in the world the way it is now.

But American’s don’t go down so easily into that socialist cesspool. Myself and other colleague physicians plan to just accept paying only customers under Obamacare. See how that "free" access works out for you slackers. We can offer better care at less cost to the patient, by cutting out the middle man…insurance companies and definitely the govt. Just let the free market work people. It always has, but socialism never has.

all the Mcdonald workers could…. $7.50/hr is way too much money

People don’t have trouble spending money on cable TV, cell phones, iPods, Blackberries, movie tickets, junk food, wheel covers , tattoos. You know , the essentials.

let’s see, if I don’t get caught lying about smoking,
I guess I could afford $1600 a year for insurance
with highest deductible allowed and then get screwed
when they find out I smoke so why pay?

"Something like 1/4 of them are illegal immigrants, 1/2 are eligible for Medicare or Medicaid but just havent enrolled in it, and the 1/4 can afford it but for whatever reason don’t".

Why do I get the feeling you pulled those figures out of your butt?

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To the question: The main point is that universal coverage would reduce health costs by treating people earlier and reducing the adminstrative overhead that now consumes 30 cents of every dollar spent on health care. Under Medicare and Medicaid, it’s around ten cents.

yes, it is 50 million. If they could afford it it will be less.
I am one of those 50 million

Many people choose not to have health care. Minorities, the poor, students etc. are the biggest in this categories.

50 million is actually a good figure, as much of the low income heath insurance is not very good and politicians always try to make the figure lower than it is.

That’s what you get when you have the worst health care system in the developed world.

Funny, that 50 million figure is a moving target.

10-20%. The rest are illegal immigrants and those who refuse to pay for it and want it for free. Peace

My wife has a congenital spine disease. With this condition it is IMPOSSIBLE for her to get health insurance that we can afford (and still pay rent, electricity, food and water). Without surgery she will be unable to have children. This has been a horrible ordeal for us, so until you walk in other people’s shoes, I suggest every one of you self-righteous a-holes keep your mouths shut about other people’s problems. I’m not a democrat. This isn’t political. This is people’s lives. This is real life. Quit playing games with our future. Please.

Beware those statistics! They include illegal aliens (who intentionally do not buy health insurance, whether they can get it or not since they consider health care to be "free" by showing up at ERs), and immigrants, who often come from countries where health insurance is not common and so are unfamiliar with it. At least 20 million, perhaps closer to 25 million fall into these categories. So the number of Americans without health insurance runs about 25 million.

Younger people are less likely to get health insurance. If available, they tend to see no need for it.

Since over a quarter of medical bills are costs shifted from non-paying patients (predominently illegal aliens), and another quarter of costs are administrative and regulatory costs for billing, paperwork, etc, about half of uninsured Americans would be able to afford health insurance if these costs were eliminated, thereby cutting their insurance premiums & medical bills by 50+%. In short, govt is the cause of the health insurance crisis and there is no way more govt is going to cure the crisis it caused.

Where people pay their medical bills and then get reimbursed by their insurance (if they bother to get it), prices for state-of-the-art medical care can be 18% of US costs. This is why about half a million Americans per year are "medical tourists" to places like Mexico, Dominican Republic, Panama, Thailand, Singapore, India, etc. Even adding plane fare and a couple weeks recuperation in a 5-star hotel, they save over 50%, and often 60-75% of US prices.

BTW, in my state, private health insurance (for someone whose small employer does not have group health) starts at over $1000/month for a single person, $1200 for a couple, $1300 for a family. Singles are subsidizing other people, although the actuarial data show singles use health insurance less than half as much as either spouse in a couple. The state program starts at $700/mo (single). No prescriptions, no dental, no vision included. No single person making under $100,000 (remember half goes to taxes!) can pay $1000/mo, even if they live in a rather ratty little studio apartment at $1200/mo. Metro NYC.