uninsured

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Many Find Life Cheaper Without ObamaCare

For some, fines are cheaper than health insurance

(Newser) - A good number of Americans are opting to forgo health insurance altogether and pay a federal fine rather than buy ObamaCare, the New York Times reports. The reason? Insurance policies may cost more than the fine, deductibles can be high, and these people make too much money to get federal... More »

ObamaCare Site Suffers Day's 2nd Round of Glitches

Procrastinators flooding website on deadline day

(Newser) - As the clock ticked toward ObamaCare's midnight deadline, a second round of glitches hit HealthCare.gov today, this time blocking new users from applying. The site is now back up and running, Politico reports, but its "virtual waiting room was triggered," and the Obama administration reported that... More »

Uninsured ObamaCare Challenger Went Bankrupt

...with $4.5K in unpaid medical bills

(Newser) - Mary Brown, who became the lead plaintiff in the National Federation of Independent Business' challenge of President Obama's health-care law because she didn't have insurance and didn't want to be forced to buy it, recently filed for bankruptcy … with $4,500 worth of unpaid medical bills.... More »

Hospitals Stuck With 'Permanent Patients'

Illegal immigrants, those without insurance, cost millions to care for

(Newser) - Look long enough in most hospitals, and you’ll probably find some decidedly unwelcome guests. Hospitals, particularly those in urban centers like New York, are faced with a growing burden from so-called “permanent patients,” who hospitals are stuck caring for even though they are well enough to be... More »

3 Big Myths About Health Care Reform

Don't be taken in by misinformation, warns Paul Krugman

(Newser) - Health care reform has made a miraculous comeback but its opponents are going to try to hoodwink the public with misinformation and lies down the home stretch, writes Paul Krugman. He outlines "three big myths" about reform in the New York Times .
  • "The government is grabbing control of
... More »

Obama Crafts Scaled-Down Health Care Plan B

Fallback measure would cover 15M uninsured

(Newser) - The White House has a less ambitious health care plan waiting in the wings if today's health care summit fails to win enough support for sweeping change. The scaled-back plan would provide health insurance to some 15 million Americans, about half the number the larger bill would cover, for a... More »

House Scrutinizes Health Insurer's 39% Rate Hike

Anthem Blue Cross jacks some premiums in California

(Newser) - As Congress opened a probe into a health insurer's impending premium hikes of up to 39%, President Obama yesterday cited Anthem Blue Cross's rate increases as evidence of the need for health care reform. "If we don't act, this is just a preview of coming attractions," Obama said.... More »

Lack of Health Insurance Kills 2K Veterans a Year

2,266 died last year, a study finds

(Newser) - Some 2,266 US veterans under 65 died last year because they didn't have health insurance, a team from Harvard Medical School estimates. Although most vets get medical care through the VA, there are about a million and a half, under 65, who were not wounded and are "too... More »

GOP Health Plan Would Leave 52M Uninsured

Bill saves some money, expands coverage by only 3M

(Newser) - The GOP health care bill has no chance of passing—but if it did, most people who already have coverage would see their premiums drop, while 52 million Americans currently uninsured would stay that way. So says a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which largely confirms Dems' claims... More »

If Congress Can't Pass Health Reform, Yank Their Coverage

Pols should be punished for 'longstanding and grievous breach of responsibility: Kristof

(Newser) - Nicholas Kristof has a modest proposal for lawmakers who vote down health care reform. If universal coverage is defeated, he writes, let’s take away the insurance of 15% of Congress, at random, and cut benefits to an inadequate level for another 8%. “I wouldn’t wish the trauma... More »

Young Adults Will Pay Steep Price for Health Reform

Insurance will be cheaper, but not cheap, and they'll be forced to buy it

(Newser) - Young adults are the demographic most firmly behind President Obama and health care reform, but they may also end up funding a disproportionate share of it, the Washington Post reports. Requiring young adults to sign up for health insurance is a key part of reform plans, as it will ensure... More »

Ranks of Uninsured Grow; Poverty Rate Soars

(Newser) - The number of uninsured Americans rose to 46.3 million last year, up from 45.7 million in 2007, as the poverty rate hit an 11-year high, the Census Bureau announced today. The poverty rate was 13.2% for 2008, up from 12.5% in 2007, the largest annual jump... More »

Rural States Would Gain Most From Health Reform...

...but their vehement residents want it least

(Newser) - With some of the highest percentages of uninsured citizens, rural states like Wyoming and Iowa stand to benefit the most from health care reform—but they’re also home to its most vocal detractors, the Los Angeles Times reports. Such states tend to have lower personal incomes, more small businesses... More »

Young Adults Biggest Fans of Health Care Reform

Also top supporters of public option: survey

(Newser) - Making up 30% of the uninsured population, young adults are the biggest supporters of health reform and the public option, a poll finds—but they're also among the quietest. Only 53% of working young adults qualify for employer-based insurance, and they usually can’t afford to take out their own... More »

Obama to Recast Health Reform as Moral Issue

Focus on legislative details has bogged down debate, supporters worry

(Newser) - President Obama is about to start focusing more on the moral aspects of health care reform, stressing the need to provide secure coverage to all Americans, the Wall Street Journal reports. The shift may reflect the concerns of some supporters that Obama has spent too much time talking about the... More »

Health Care Works Great— for Congress

Taxpayers spend $15B to offer 8.5M federal workers primo benefits

(Newser) - As members of Congress tear into each other over health care reform, they do so assured that a top shelf taxpayer-funded smorgasboard of health plans are there to respond to their slightest sniffle, Mark Barabak and Faye Fiore note in the Los Angeles Times. Last year, taxpayers spent about $15... More »

6 Steps to Reform Health Care Now: Kennedy

Senator lists needed steps for system overhaul

(Newser) - This is the year to end an “American tragedy” and overhaul health care, Sen. Ted Kennedy writes in Politico. The Census Bureau said last year that 46 million Americans had no health insurance--and the economic crisis has added another 4 million to the ranks of the uninsured. It’s... More »

At the Mall? Pick Up Some Health Care

Blue Cross sells coverage from a Fla. storefront

(Newser) - The nation's largest health provider is trying a new tack: selling insurance from a stripmall storefront. The suburban Florida Blue Cross shop hopes to attract some of the state's 4 million uninsured residents, and it's part of an "overall retail transformation" of the industry, a spokesman tells NPR. Consumers... More »

As Money Woes Rise, Drivers Let Insurance Lapse

Jobless Americans can't afford insurance

(Newser) - As the unemployment rate climbs, so, too, does the number of drivers letting their car insurance lapse, the Wall Street Journal reports. One industry group says several hundred thousand drivers dropped their insurance in the last year alone. A study two years ago pegged the percentage of uninsured drivers at... More »

Hillary Dumps Another Tall Tale

Hospital contradicts her health care horror story

(Newser) - Another story Hillary Clinton has told repeatedly on the campaign trail turns out to be untrue, CNN reports. This one is about a pregnant woman from Ohio who dies after being turned away from a hospital because she has no health insurance. A spokesman for the hospital has denied the... More »

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