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Asclepios
Your Weekly Medicare Consumer Advocacy Update
A Rising Tide Won't Lift a Leaky Boat
February 21, 2008, Volume 8, Issue 8
New research published in Health Affairs shows that the uptick in the U.S.
economy in recent years failed to halt the growing number of uninsured in this
country. From 2004 to 2006, even as household incomes rose and the proportion
of people living in poverty declined slightly, the percentage of people with
health coverage through their jobs continued to fall. The number of uninsured
grew among low-, middle- and upper-income groups, although it grew fastest
among the self-employed and workers in small firms, as well as among service
industry workers whose jobs tend not to come with health benefits. More of us
fall into those categories these days, and more of us--47 million at last
count--do without health insurance.
Now that the economic uptick seems to have tuckered out, we can expect things
to get worse, faster. The Health Affairs study showed an even larger increase
in the number of uninsured from 2000 to 2004, a period when incomes declined
and more people slipped into poverty.
Good times or bad, our system of obtaining health insurance through our
employers is increasingly unable to deliver. A job with decent health benefits
may some day be as rare as one that guarantees a pension.
One bright spot in this gloomy picture is the consistently low number--1.5
percent in 2006--of adults over 65 who are uninsured. The reason of course is
Medicare. Carpenters, fast food workers, barbers, Walmart greeters, florists,
grocery baggers, drywall hangers, security guards and anyone else now working
without health insurance becomes eligible for Medicare coverage when they hit
65. They will receive the same Medicare benefit as retired insurance executives
and drug company lobbyists, whether the economy is up or down. If you work hard
and pay your taxes, your right to Medicare coverage is guaranteed.
Making quality, affordable health care a right for all of us should be both the
guiding principle and the ultimate goal of health care reform. It does not
explain how we're going to pay to cover everyone, but it tells us to find the
money. It does not control the rising costs of health care, but it forces us to
make those hard choices. More than anything, it makes clear that the current
path is a dead end. Boosterism--faking optimism that the next cycle of economic
growth will solve our problems--is wearing thin. The blind faith, in the face
of all evidence to the contrary, that the market for private insurance will
solve everything, rings hollow. Tinkering around the edges is no longer enough.
It's time to stand up for our right to health care.
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Medical Record
"The number of uninsured Americans increased by 3.4 million between 2004 and
2006, despite improving economic conditions. In the first four years of the
decade, during a period of economic recession, the number increased by 6.0
million. The dominant factor in both periods was a decline in
employer-sponsored insurance coverage" ("The U.S. Economy And Changes In Health
Insurance Coverage, 2000--2006
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=hkIRK6PRLmKXKhL&s=ruI5KfPNJcKYJaOWG&m=lkIXIbNOJdI4G),"
Health Affairs, February 20, 2008).
"Both the percentage and the number of people without health insurance
increased in 2006. The percentage without health insurance increased from 15.3
percent in 2005 to 15.8 percent in 2006, and the number of uninsured increased
from 44.8 million to 47.0 million" ("Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance
Coverage in the United States: 2006
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=anJDLLMpFfJKIXK&s=ruI5KfPNJcKYJaOWG&m=lkIXIbNOJdI4G),"
U.S. Census Bureau, August 2007).
"Here's my philosophy--that government ought to trust private medicine; that
we've got a fabulous health care system. Does it have issues? Sure, it's got
issues. But when you compare it to other health care systems in the world, the
United States has got a fabulous health care system" ("President Bush Discusses
Health Care, Economic Growth and Free Trade at 2007 Grocery Manufacturers
Association/Food Products Association Fall Conference
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=dqLJIUNBLiIRK7J&s=ruI5KfPNJcKYJaOWG&m=lkIXIbNOJdI4G),"
President George W. Bush, October 31, 2007).
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Medicare Part D Appeals Help for Advocates Is Here!
MRC's new Medicare Part D Appeals: An advocate's manual to navigating the
Medicare private drug plan appeals process offers an easy-to-understand,
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advocates, and links to important resources.
Register for a FREE copy
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of this great resource.
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Medicare Private Health Plan Monitoring Project
The Medicare Rights Center (MRC) would like to hear about your experience, or
that of someone you know, enrolled in a private health plan. With information
about what the issues are with Medicare Advantage plans, we will be able to
demand that those problems be fixed.
Submit your story at www.medicarerights.org/maplanstories.html
(http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=jwKVJcMZIoJ5JrL&s=ruI5KfPNJcKYJaOWG&m=lkIXIbNOJdI4G).
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The Louder Our Voice, the Stronger Our Message
Asclepios--named for the Greek and Roman god of medicine who, acclaimed for his
healing abilities, was at one point the most worshipped god in Greece--is a
weekly e-newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date with Medicare program and
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The Medicare Rights Center (MRC) is the largest independent source of Medicare
information and assistance in the United States. Founded in 1989, MRC helps
older adults and people with disabilities get high-quality, affordable health
care.
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