[lbo-talk] Uninsured only 12 million 'sez NR...oh really?!

[Michael Pugliese]

First, it is becoming increasingly clear that the uninsured are over
counted. For years, single-payer advocates have relied on the
statistic produced by the Census Bureau, which now stands at 45
million uninsured. Yet a recent study by the Urban Institute — not
exactly the free market's best friend — claimed that the Census Bureau
number was overstated by 4 million. Another study by the Department of
Health and Human Services found it was too high by 9 million.

However, these studies looked only at those eligible for Medicaid who
are either not enrolled or are enrolled but do not report their
eligibility to the Census Bureau. Another factor that inflates the
number is the uninsured who are not citizens, which amounts to about
9.5 million. The BlueCross BlueShield Association also examined this
problem recently. That report found that the number of uninsured
eligible for Medicaid was 14 million. It also found that there are 9.3
million uninsured people in households making $50,000 or more a
year—i.e., those who can afford insurance but do not purchase it. When
all of those factors are subtracted from the Census Bureau statistic,
the number of uninsured is just over 12 million.
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/hogberg200505120809.asp
-- 
Michael Pugliese