Legislators, others react to Doyle’s State of the State address Jan 24, 2008
We commend the governor for recognizing the importance of that issue, and for recognizing that small businesses represent the largest segment of the uninsured population. More News. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Free health clinic names its executive director Jan 15, 2008
According to statistics provided by Volunteers in Medicine, the uninsured population in the nation is estimated to be 14 percent of the population or about 43 million people. In Pennsylvania, the number of uninsured residents is about 10 percent or 1 million people. (The Citizen's Voice, PA)
Arizona health program in peril Dec 31, 2007
The objective was to further shrink the state's uninsured population - a big chunk of whom work for small businesses - and get a good enough mix of participants in the program so it could be self-sustaining from its premiums. But the niche that Healthcare Group has filled in the state also has contributed to its woes. (AZCentral -- News)
Uninsured state must change Dec 8, 2007
That might be the tendency for a portion of the currently uninsured population. We would bet more would actually follow the law, heeding their parents advice to protect their investment. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
States Uninsured Crisis Affects Health of All Texans Dec 5, 2007
No one piece of legislation, no magic policy or program will fix all the problems, but reducing the states uninsured population will help relieve some of the pressure. . (KWTX.com, TX)
Study: Illegal immigrants make up 12 percent of Arizona work force Dec 3, 2007
Also, 69 percent of Arizona's undocumented immigrants do not have health insurance and with their children account for 37 percent of the state's uninsured population. The study looked at Census, welfare, education and economic data nationally and at the state level. (Phoenix Business Journal, AZ)
Patients here desperate to see experts Nov 19, 2007
Noakes said the large uninsured population in the Central Valley is one reason specialists decide against practicing in the region. "We are seeing more specialists leave the community than come to the community," he said. (Modesto Bee, CA)
Why healthy S.F. needs Congress to come to the rescue Nov 3, 2007
Part of Healthy San Francisco's funding mechanism almost certainly runs afoul of ERISA. The city estimates it will need to spend approximately $200 million per year in 2006 dollars to cover its uninsured population. A portion of that sum will come from the city's approximately 100,000 employers. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Clinic adds flu shots to day laborers' checkups Nov 2, 2007
According to a 2006 report by the Hispanic Health Council in Hartford, Latinos make up 9 percent of Connecticut residents but are 40 percent of the state's uninsured population. Paniagua said he once encountered a man, who after having appendix surgery a week earlier, was standing on State Street seeking work. (Stamford Advocate)
The healthcare war Oct 19, 2007
As Clinton wrote in his autobiography, "If all the parents and children who were income eligible -- about 14 million -- bought into the ... program, it would take care of about one third of the uninsured population.". SCHIP was always envisioned by the Democrats as a backdoor route to universal coverage. (Salon)
Governor Rendell Launches 'Tour to Insure;' Urges Passage of Plan to Give Access to Affordable Health Insurance Oct 10, 2007
Top Ten Counties with the Highest Per-Capita Uninsured Population Total Number Uninsured Adults % Uninsured Rank highest of Adults Adults per capita (19-64) (19-64) Tioga 21,718 7,721 35. 6% 1 Forest 2,453 663 27. (PR Newswire)
Medicaid spending jumps sharply Oct 8, 2007
These high-profile efforts to reduce the uninsured population rely heavily on the federal government paying costs through the Medicaid and children's health programs. The Bush administration had encouraged these efforts until recently but now is expressing concerns about costs. (USA Today -- News)
LINDA HALDERMAN: Governor's plan: Patients without doctors Sep 29, 2007
This expansion of government-funded medicine helps meet the governor's goal of decreasing California's uninsured population. There is one problem the proposal fails to address, however: There aren't enough doctors to care for them. (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Company woos young with new kind of health policy Sep 25, 2007
Some 17 million people in the uninsured population make more than $50,000 a year, Boss points out. They'd rather spend their money on other things. (Dallas Business Journal, TX)
The Dark Side of Hillary Clinton's Health Care Plan Sep 22, 2007
(Illegal immigrants are a disproportionately large segment of the uninsured population because legal immigrants and citizens who live in poverty are eligible for Medicaid, but illegal immigrants are not ... (Illegal immigrants are a disproportionately large segment of the uninsured population because legal immigrants and citizens who live in poverty are eligible for Medicaid, but illegal immigrants are not. (Townhall.com)
The Dark Side of Hillarycare Sep 21, 2007
(Illegal immigrants are a disproportionately large segment of the uninsured population because legal immigrants and citizens who live in poverty are eligible for Medicaid, but illegal immigrants are not. . (Newsmax)
Hillary's Health Care Do-Over Sep 18, 2007
That means the revised employer mandate in her new plan would miss a large segment of the uninsured population; currently, the Clinton campaign acknowledged, only 48% of companies that employ fewer than 10 people provide health benefits. Instead, Clinton's new plan achieves universal coverage by imposing an "individual mandate" a requirement that those who do not get coverage from their employers go out and purchase it themselves but also by offering tax breaks and other incentives to make that... (Time.com)
Millbury man charged in prostitution ring Sep 13, 2007
The state Health Insurance Commission used federal and state data to examine Rhode Island's uninsured population. In 2005, just over 119,000 people under age 65 lacked health insurance, representing a 92 percent increase over five years. (Boston Globe)
About 1 in 6 without health insurance Sep 12, 2007
Oktibbeha County's uninsured population was 18 ... Mississippi's uninsured population was 17 ... The Census Bureau in 2006 issued the first and only estimates made of counties' uninsured population. (Columbus Commercial Dispatch, MS)
Price of health care coverage marches upward Sep 12, 2007
That gives Harris County the largest uninsured population among the country's top 10 metropolitan areas, according to the census. MORE STORIES IN Front page. (Houston Chronicle)
Who Pays for Health Insurance? Sep 7, 2007
But the increasing size of the uninsured population is only a symptom of deeper problems in American health care, not the problem itself. Indeed, concern for the uninsured obscures the plight of middle- and lower-income workers who do have health coverage but pay dearly for it. (Wall Street Journal)
Read more... Sep 6, 2007
"The uninsured population is a diverse group, each with a different reason for lacking insurance," said Herrick. "Income may be a factor, but it is not the only one. Some come from cultures without a strong history of paying premiums for health insurance; others don't see it as a good economic value.". (PNN Online)
Another Bogus Report Card for U.S. Medical Care Aug 29, 2007
The Commonwealth Fund ignores all that and focuses almost exclusively on the problems of our uninsured population ... The Commonwealth Fund ignores all that and focuses almost exclusively on the problems of our uninsured population. (Townhall.com)
Income, uninsured rise while poverty declines, Census says Aug 29, 2007
Alabama's uninsured population was lower than its neighboring states of Mississippi with 18. 1 percent uninsured; Georgia with 17. (Birmingham Business Journal)
Ritter backs increase in SCHIP funding Aug 24, 2007
Colorado is among the states with the highest uninsured population. The state's 770,000 uninsured residents are believed to be a factor in rising health insurance premiums since providers like hospitals pass unreimbursed expenses on to insurers which in turn raise rates for those who have coverage. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
Okie: Immigrants & Health Care Aug 10, 2007
Brown ER, Pourat N, Wallace SP. Undocumented residents make up small share of California's uninsured population. Los Angeles: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, March 2007. (Zmag.org)
Insurance battle to continue Jul 31, 2007
Healthcare activists at the Capitol sympathized with Hill s goal of shrinking the uninsured population but found little else to support in his approach. Everybody recognizes that employer-based health insurance is going the way of the loon, consumer health advocate Linda Lowe said last week. (Albany Herald)
Governor Makes Health Coverage A Priority Jul 26, 2007
"This incremental effort will draw from the experiences of other states, but will ultimately result in a plan that is uniquely suited to New York's uninsured population and healthcare challenges." According to Claudia Hutton, director of public affairs for the New York State Department of Health, there are approximately 2. 6 million uninsured New Yorkers. (Suffolk Life Newspapers, NY)
Let more kids have coverage Jul 21, 2007
The state's uninsured population is approaching 2 million and could this year go as high as 20 percent. About 300,000 of them are children. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Hospitals eye the medical tourism mkt Jul 7, 2007
There are an estimated 71 million underinsured or uninsured population in the US alone. Says Escorts Heart Institute executive director (medical services) Dr Kler, Most of the health services in insurance driven countries are bleeding and evaluating hospitals in India as an alternative. (India Times)
Massachusetts Health Insurance Law Takes Effect Jul 3, 2007
Residents ages 19 to 39 make up about half of the state's uninsured population, according to a state survey conducted last year. If they do not enroll in health plans, "the total cost of the program could soar, because those with coverage would be older, sicker and more likely to require costly services," according to the. (Kaiser network.org)
US state enticing young adults with low-cost insurance plans Jul 2, 2007
It's the fastest and largest segment of the uninsured population, said Sara Collins, Commonwealth Fund assistant vice president lead author of "Rite of Passage? Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help.". "This age group does tend to be healthier than the population at large, and per capita spending on health care for this age group is about $1,500 per year," she said. (International Herald Tribune)
Mass. Offers Young Adults Health Plans -AP Jul 2, 2007
It's the fastest and largest segment of the uninsured population, said Sara Collins, Commonwealth Fund assistant vice president lead author of ``Rite of Passage. Why Young Adults Become Uninsured and How New Policies Can Help. (Guardian Unlimited)
Health insurance crisis: Houston struggles to plug gaps Jun 19, 2007
The growth of the nation's uninsured population has stretched hospital emergency departments to the breaking point. Nationally, ER visits rose from 93 million to 110 million from 1994 to 2004, an 18% jump, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (USA Today)
State Health Scorecard Study Released Jun 16, 2007
The uninsured population would be cut in half if insurance rates nationwide reached insurance rates in the top states. Nearly 4 million more diabetics across the nation would receive basic recommended care, helping to avoid renal failure and lost limbs, and 9 million adults age 50 or older would receive essential preventive care. (Today's THV)
Study: W.Va. health performance lacking Jun 14, 2007
The state's huge uninsured population - about 300,000 or so adults - is one of the chief reasons West Virginia fares poorly in a report released Wednesday by the New York-based Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation that finances health care research. The group concludes that based on a number of measures, including the prevalence of obesity to the percentage of adults who have visited a doctor in the past two years, West Virginia ranks 44th overall, just ahead of Kentucky. (Concord Monitor)
2 bills open critical debate on health care Jun 9, 2007
Unlike the governor's plan, the Democrats would cover only about two-thirds of the uninsured population. Their plans require employers to pay a 7. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Report sees benefits in state health plan Jun 8, 2007
A nonpartisan management consulting firm specializing in health care released a report Wednesday saying that the Wisconsin Health Plan would reduce the state's uninsured population, curb employers' health care costs and provide businesses and homeowners with nearly $1 billion in property tax relief. The health plan was first introduced by State Rep. (Milwaukee Business Journal, WI)
Health care finally on front burner May 21, 2007
Higher costs on one side and the growing uninsured population on the other are crushing American businesses. President Bush wants to tax all health benefits received from an employer, while creating a standard deduction of $15,000 for families and $7,500 for individuals. (The Augusta Chronicle)
A Prescription For Details May 11, 2007
The case study in this was the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2000, when then-Senator Bill Bradley put forth an ambitious proposal that would have brought coverage to about half the uninsured population. Then-Vice President Al Gore tore it apart claiming, among other things, that Bradley's plan would leave the poor worse off than now. (CBS News)
Uninsured billed at full price, study finds May 8, 2007
Hospitals in large part have borne the brunt of caring for the country's uninsured population, Emerson said, with uncompensated care in their emergency rooms and by writing off what uninsured patients are unable to pay. The full-price rates, which in part give the starting point in negotiations with private insurers, have gone up to make up for some of those losses. (Los Angeles Times)
Smokers tapped to pay for new health plan May 1, 2007
"He not only put out a cigarette tax for us to consider, he also recognized the importance of the uninsured population and how we all pay for every single person who doesn't have health insurance."Under the plan, people who make up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level -- $20,420 for an individual and $41,300 for a family of four -- could buy insurance under the program. The plan provides $500 in free preventive care; a $1,100 health savings account; and up to $300,000 of annual insurance... (Indianapolis Star)
Drug costs burden free clinic Apr 27, 2007
Spolyar estimates the clinic sees about 3,000 people a year, out of Schenectady County's uninsured population of about 20,000. Those who are refused service are sent to such places as St. Clare's Hospital Family Health Center or Hometown Health, a local urgent-care center. (Albany Times Union)
Bill filed may alleviate the health care crunch Apr 19, 2007
Young says it's hard to assign a dollar value to the impact of an uninsured population on Travis County, but it hits hospital budgets hardest because emergency rooms treat anyone, regardless of their ability to pay. Nationally since 2000, employers have struggled with health care costs rising on average each year between 14 percent and 7 percent, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Austin Business Journal, TX)
Rx for accessibility: Apr 10, 2007
"The question that comes with that is, if that's their intent, are they also going to have new medical liability coverage? I think everyone is well aware of the situation that we are in the last couple of years with the shortage of companies who are willing to write medical malpractice. Now you are going to extend the population that has to have medical liability coverage." Liability coverage aside, some believe access to coverage for the uninsured population may be unrealistic. "Back in 2002,... (Pennsylvania Northeast Business Journal, PA)
Highmark, Independence Blue to merge Mar 29, 2007
The companies said the agreement would allow the combined operations to hold administrative fees flat for two years, resulting in direct savings to customers of $300 million; better manage prescription drug costs, which are expected to result in $280 million in drug cost savings for customers; and provide more than $650 million to help expand access to health insurance for Pennsylvania's uninsured population. More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Health coverage harder to afford (Gregory Lopes) Mar 14, 2007
"The governor will be urging the federal government to make available funds to make sure all eligible children can enroll in the program." The Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative is pushing for a $1-per-pack increase for cigarettes to help cover the state's uninsured population, including adults. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, last week announced that the fiscal 2008 House budget will include a reserve fund to cover the cost of enrollment of all eligible children in the... (Washington Times)
BNH Talks to the Advocates Mar 6, 2007
The state's Office of Healthcare Access, which has been looking at this for many years, uses a much lower figure for the uninsured population. All the groups agree that among the uninsured there is a large number of people who can afford insurance but choose to spend their money elsewhere. (Connecticut Business News Journal)
It's Rell vs. the Democrats; Health care, education hang in balance Mar 3, 2007
" Therein lies one big problem. While the budget does bolster education aid to towns like none before, it levies an across-the-board income-tax hike while ending a tax on wealthy estates. It also contains no funding increase for nursing homes and hospitals, and limits private, nonprofit social service agencies to 1 percent growth. "I don't think there is a full awareness of the damage that the governor's budget does to health care, economic development," and other needs, Williams said. Amann... (Journal Inquirer, CT)
House Democrats put new health plan on table; would tax doctors, cosmetic surgery, cigarettes to do it Mar 1, 2007
House Speaker James A. Amann, D-Milford, who pledged to make reducing Connecticut's uninsured population a top priority in 2007, said the latest plan "is a solid, well-thought-out proposal, and the best I've seen yet. "Answers to our health care crisis will not come easy, and the only way we will develop workable solutions is by exploring many ideas. " Beverly Brakeman, director of the Farmington-based health care advocacy group Citizens for Economic Opportunity, said that while the proposal has... (Journal Inquirer, CT)
LETTERS TO BUSINESS Feb 18, 2007
Retirees younger than age 65 represent a large segment of the uninsured population. Any solution to the national health care crisis must address this segment of the population. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Reform: Uninsured And Overinflated Feb 16, 2007
An Employee Benefits Research Institute study found that immigrants accounted for 86% of the growth in the uninsured population between 1998 and 2003 ... On the contrary, evidence shows that a large portion of the uninsured population could get coverage if they wanted it. (Investors Business Daily)
States and U.S. at Odds on Aid for Uninsured Feb 14, 2007
Several states, including Colorado and Delaware, are requiring insurers to cover young adults, the fastest-growing segment of the uninsured population. We have a goal that all Minnesotans should be covered by health insurance,; Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, said in an address to the State Legislature last month. (Foster's Daily Democrat)
Plan aims to help uninsured Feb 8, 2007
The state's uninsured population has swelled to nearly 800,000 residents, or more than 10 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Funding for the Hammen bill would come from a number of sources, including the federal government, which matches a portion of Medicaid costs. (SunSpot.net)
Texas leads nation in percentage of uninsured Feb 7, 2007
The institute estimates that in 2005, reducing the Texas uninsured population by half would have increased the state's economic activity by more than $9. 4 billion. (Dallas Business Journal, TX)
Health care for all is within reach Feb 3, 2007
Health care for all is within reach. The country is moving ineluctably toward some sort of government guarantee of universal health care. (AZCentral -- News)
NY governor wants to cut health care spending Jan 28, 2007
His goal is to cut New York's uninsured population in half over the next four years and he also promised to develop a plan for "affordable, universal health insurance for all New Yorkers.". Reuters 2007. (Reuters)
Plan calls for incentives for small businesses to insure workers Jan 24, 2007
In Ohio, the uninsured population has shrunk slightly _ from 11. 2 percent in 1998 to 10. (Pine Bluff Commercial, AR)
Free clinics Jan 21, 2007
Based on recent community surveys, the uninsured population in Escambia County has increased by nearly 16,000 people since 2004, said Steve Pettitt, the administrator for the Health and Hope Clinic. "This has been an incredible increase for us all," Pettitt said. (Pensacola News Journal)
Rendell to unveil health care reform plan today Jan 17, 2007
But he has said earlier that he wants to offer affordable coverage to adults, who make up most of the state's uninsured population, through a plan similar to an earlier proposal he made to expand coverage for children. That proposal, Cover All Kids, is awaiting final federal approval. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Report: More insurance costs being shifted to workers Jan 11, 2007
The survey was funded by a state "health planning grant," which is aimed at identifying the nature of Montana's uninsured population and developing plans to provide health coverage for all Montanans. A 2003 survey under the grant found that about 170,000 Montanans are without insurance _ one of the highest rates in the nation, at 19 percent of the population. (Helena Independent Record)
California health insurance proposal borrows from Massachusetts Jan 11, 2007
For example, before healthcare reform was implemented, the uninsured population here was a relatively modest 460,000, or 7. 2 percent. (Boston Globe -- Business)
Colonial Lodge Retirement Inn mascot known as Pete Swafford hitches a ridge as resident Eleanor Guffey, 81, takes a morning stroll around the facility. Top Stories Medical Center at Terrell closing doors Jan 11, 2007
The uninsured population is causing and will continue to increasingly cause grave concerns about facility viability. You might want to ask that little bitty Dallas hospital. (Terrell Tribune, TX)
More insurance costs being shifted to workers, report shows Jan 10, 2007
The survey is financed by a state health planning grant, which is supposed to identify the nature of Montana s uninsured population and develop plans to provide health coverage for all Montanans. A 2003 survey under the grant found that about 170,000 Montanans are without insurance DASH one of the highest rates in the nation, at 19 percent of the population. (Helena Independent Record)
Governor unveils major health insurance reform Jan 9, 2007
According to some estimates, children in low-income families make up about 750,000 of the state's uninsured population and are among the most cost-effective to insure. "If we can get beyond the argument on who is documented and who is undocumented, we can get going, rolling up our sleeves and get to work," said Irma Cota, chief executive officer of North County Health Services, a network of community clinics based in San Marcos and serving predominantly low-income and uninsured patients. (North County Times)
