This is an article from the Dallas Morning News that I read on Huffingtonpost.com. This is from the man who has helped write John McCain's healthcare policy. Their thinking is ridiculous, and he borders on being a smart-ass. This is absolutely NO solution to the healthcare crisis. I'm sure he has really good healthcare coverage. At the end are comments left by readers.
"Texas once again led the nation with the highest percentage of residents without health insurance, a U.S. Census Bureau report showed Tuesday...almost one of every four Texas residents – 24.8 percent – were uninsured in 2006 and 2007, based on an average of the rates for those two years. That's up from 23.9 percent for 2004 and 2005.
But the numbers are misleading, said John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a right-leaning Dallas-based think tank. Mr. Goodman, who helped craft Sen. John McCain's health care policy, said anyone with access to an emergency room effectively has insurance, albeit the government acts as the payer of last resort. (Hospital emergency rooms by law cannot turn away a patient in need of immediate care.)
"So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said. "The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.
"Texas once again led the nation with the highest percentage of residents without health insurance, a U.S. Census Bureau report showed Tuesday...almost one of every four Texas residents – 24.8 percent – were uninsured in 2006 and 2007, based on an average of the rates for those two years. That's up from 23.9 percent for 2004 and 2005.
But the numbers are misleading, said John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a right-leaning Dallas-based think tank. Mr. Goodman, who helped craft Sen. John McCain's health care policy, said anyone with access to an emergency room effectively has insurance, albeit the government acts as the payer of last resort. (Hospital emergency rooms by law cannot turn away a patient in need of immediate care.)
"So I have a solution. And it will cost not one thin dime," Mr. Goodman said. "The next president of the United States should sign an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to cease and desist from describing any American – even illegal aliens – as uninsured. Instead, the bureau should categorize people according to the likely source of payment should they need care.
"So, there you have it. Voila! Problem solved."
Mr. Goodman's analysis drew a sharp response from the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an Austin-based think tank focusing on poverty issues. "That is not the same thing as having health insurance," said Eva Deluna, a budget analyst for the center. People without insurance are less likely to seek care, and when they do, the cost to the health system is greater, she said.
According to Mr. Goodman, only people who are denied care are truly uninsured – everyone who gets care is effectively insured by some mechanism. "So instead of producing worthless statistics that people fling around in vacuous editorials and pointless debates, the Census Bureau should produce meaningful numbers, identifying all of the sources of funds people will draw on if they need medical care," he said.
Ms. Deluna argued that the situation actually is worse now than the Census Bureau reported. The just-released data does not reflect the recent economic downturn, she said.
It makes no sense, she continued, for Texas to have the nation's highest percentage of uninsured residents, while having one of the nation's strongest economies for job growth.
Comments
Unbelievable. So when I need my colonoscopy because of my family history with colon cancer, I just show up at the er and they'll take care of it. Right!! Another example of how out-of-touch advisors to McCain are going to screw up America even more!! Don't forget, Phil Gramm, the KING of deregulation, had his hand in the S&L problems of the 90's, in the deregulation of energy (think ENRON), how about dereg of telecomms (Worldcomm), and finally this subprime mortgage meltdown. Use your search engines and you'll find the connection.
I recently lost my vision insurance. So, for my next eye appointment, is Goodman saying I should go to the emergency room? That's absurd.Here's another idea: how about we have a universal health care system like every single other industrialized country? I think America can do better than last on health care.
I am a nurse, and if you think the uninsured are treated in the emergency room and the bill is paid by the government, you are wrong. If you are a member of the working class poor, and uninsured, the hospital will bill you for their service. And they will send your account to a collection agency, and garnish your wages. And the amount of money the emergency room will charge you to treat something simple, like a strep infection and throat culture, will set you hair on fire.
Mr. Goodman's analysis drew a sharp response from the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an Austin-based think tank focusing on poverty issues. "That is not the same thing as having health insurance," said Eva Deluna, a budget analyst for the center. People without insurance are less likely to seek care, and when they do, the cost to the health system is greater, she said.
According to Mr. Goodman, only people who are denied care are truly uninsured – everyone who gets care is effectively insured by some mechanism. "So instead of producing worthless statistics that people fling around in vacuous editorials and pointless debates, the Census Bureau should produce meaningful numbers, identifying all of the sources of funds people will draw on if they need medical care," he said.
Ms. Deluna argued that the situation actually is worse now than the Census Bureau reported. The just-released data does not reflect the recent economic downturn, she said.
It makes no sense, she continued, for Texas to have the nation's highest percentage of uninsured residents, while having one of the nation's strongest economies for job growth.
Comments
Unbelievable. So when I need my colonoscopy because of my family history with colon cancer, I just show up at the er and they'll take care of it. Right!! Another example of how out-of-touch advisors to McCain are going to screw up America even more!! Don't forget, Phil Gramm, the KING of deregulation, had his hand in the S&L problems of the 90's, in the deregulation of energy (think ENRON), how about dereg of telecomms (Worldcomm), and finally this subprime mortgage meltdown. Use your search engines and you'll find the connection.
I recently lost my vision insurance. So, for my next eye appointment, is Goodman saying I should go to the emergency room? That's absurd.Here's another idea: how about we have a universal health care system like every single other industrialized country? I think America can do better than last on health care.
I am a nurse, and if you think the uninsured are treated in the emergency room and the bill is paid by the government, you are wrong. If you are a member of the working class poor, and uninsured, the hospital will bill you for their service. And they will send your account to a collection agency, and garnish your wages. And the amount of money the emergency room will charge you to treat something simple, like a strep infection and throat culture, will set you hair on fire.
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