1/3 of working uninsured chronically ill

[Ma'ake]

http://health.usnews.com/articles/he...cally-ill.html

Certainly many uninsured choose to be that way (young & healthy) but there are many who struggle with serious, chronic, (expensive) illness.

The combination of paying out-of-pocket & having catostrophic insurance for the big stuff is inadequate for this category of people, essentially the "untouchables" in the current market.

Are there conservative models that mandate a standard of coverage without penalties for the genuinely unfortunate? (eg, type I diabetes, inherited heart disease, kidney disease, etc.)

[ChinoCoug]

"Longer-term, there will be expensive admissions to hospitals, usually through the emergency department, due to diabetes out of control and congestive heart failure because of hypertension."

How do you work when you're sick half the time? We need to knock off this nonsense and get'em covered and save us some money.

[exUte]

Originally Posted by ChinoCoug

How do you work when you're sick half the time? We need to knock off this nonsense and get'em covered and save us some money.

expense and we all save money? Interesting analysis.

Actually my wife had a good idea re: emergency room admissions. Get PAs or nurse practioners to 'triage' patients. Earaches, coughs, sore throats could be handled by those caregivers instead of wasting valuable time and resources on those who shouldn't be there in the first place because their condition is not critical.

[exUte]

Originally Posted by Ma'ake

http://health.usnews.com/articles/he...cally-ill.html

Certainly many uninsured choose to be that way (young & healthy) but there are many who struggle with serious, chronic, (expensive) illness.

The combination of paying out-of-pocket & having catostrophic insurance for the big stuff is inadequate for this category of people, essentially the "untouchables" in the current market.

Are there conservative models that mandate a standard of coverage without penalties for the genuinely unfortunate? (eg, type I diabetes, inherited heart disease, kidney disease, etc.)

heart disease (whatever that is) can't mitigate it's effects through proper physical fitness, eating habits, etc?

I hear all the Billions we are sending to stop the spread of AIDS in Africa, we ought to us it to assure appropriate insurance coverage for those untouchables. But we are not in the business, nor do we have the $$, to donate to every cause known to man around the world.

I would agree we need to take care of our own and with leftover funds, we then send the excess dollars overseas. WE CANNOT TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE IN THE WORLD. WE DON'T HAVE THE FRIGGIN MONEY!

[ChinoCoug]

Originally Posted by exUte

expense and we all save money? Interesting analysis.

you didn't read the article, did you?

[SeattleUte]

Chino: A left wing (on economic issues) Mormon apologist who wants to amend the Constitution to deprive gays of a right to marriage and thinks historical racism is no big deal and ought to be lied about and swept under the rug. Yuck!

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

Chino: A left wing (on economic issues) Mormon apologist who wants to amend the Constitution to deprive gays of a right to marriage and thinks historical racism is no big deal and ought to be lied about and swept under the rug. Yuck!

He is the strangest of ducks. Thankfully there are few of them.