UNDERSTANDING UNINSURED AMERICANS Eastern University BUSA 590 Mar 17, 2009 Jeasuk Jo

Contents 1. Introduction 2. Who are The Uninsured 3. Access to Medical Care 4. Discussion 5. The future Challenge for Uninsured Americans 6. References

INTRODUCTION  Since the American economy broke down, I have heard frequently from the media that more and more Americans have lost their job and their health service and are at risk because of a loss of the employee insurance. Many Americans also have to give up their health insurance because of the higher premium

1. The National Uninsured Rate According to the CDC’s (Center of Disease Control and Prevention)  In 2006, 14.8 percent of Americans, or 43.6 million, were currently without health insurance.  Among working-age Adults (those ages 18-64), 19.8% did not have health insurance in 2006, an increase in the percent of uninsured from 18.9% the year before.

 Approximately 9.3% of children under the age of 18 did not have health insurance in According to National Conference of State Legislatures, In January 2009, new legislation reauthorizing SCHIP, the health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, was approved in the state

2. The differences in percentage uninsured by race and ethnicity as follows:  Almost a third (32.1 percent) of Hispanic people were uninsured when interviewed in  While 10.4 percent of non-Hispanic white persons and 15.9 percent of non-Hispanic black persons were uninsured when interviewed

WHO ARE THE UNINSURED 1.Definition of the uninsured According to CDC noticed, A person was defined as uninsured if he or she did not have any private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), state-sponsored or other government-sponsored health plan, or military plan. A person was also defined as uninsured if he or she had only Indian Health Service coverage or had only a private plan that paid for one type of service such as accidents or dental care

2. Interviewing with an American woman Public assistance (Medicare) as they were qualified based on age, low income, family status and health status. many people who are uninsured or under insured are not able to apply for Medicaid because their financial status is just a little higher based on state’ rules

ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE 1. The U.S. safety net system The U.S. safety net system is the United States providing emergency care to individuals in spite of their ability to pay. The safety net system is a composite of providers, hospitals, and CHCs (community health centers) ……by federal mandate

Health care safety net providers : emergency departments community health centers public hospitals charitable clinics and in some communities, teaching and community hospitals- organizations

DISCUSSION 1. Pending Issues of Safety-Net * The care these patients receive can be jeopardized because it is difficult for them to obtain (and pay for) laboratory tests, diagnostic procedures, and prescription drugs. * Inadequate coverage of the uninsured, cutbacks in Medicare, declining payments by health plans and a medical liability crisis are threatening the ability of emergency physicians to continue to provide high-quality care to everyone

* The number of uninsured is expected to increase as more people are unable to afford private insurance and federal policymakers limit eligibility and funding for public insurance.

 Question: Are uninsured patients with nonurgent medical problems causing overcrowding in ER?

THE FUTURE CHALLENGE FOR UNINSURED AMERICANS  Karen Davis’ message Even as the numbers of uninsured and underinsured persons in America are growing, the nation's health care safety net is under more stress today than it has been for 30 years, and it seems that the country has amnesia about the existence of the uninsured The state, communities, the government, as well as individual citizens should have a responsibility to ensure that the safety net has the ability to cope with financial and workforce constraint

REFERENCES  Health insurance coverage: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Inter view Survey, 2006, Retired Mar 5, 2009 from  Hot topic-February 2008: Challenges Facing the Health Care Safety Net, Retired Mar 7, 2009 from  National Conference of State Legislatures, Retired Mar, from,  My quotes: Safety Net Care: The Uninsured’s ‘Insurance’, Retired Mar, from insurance/  The Nation's Health Care Safety Net: The Leadership Challenge for Health Philanthro py, Retired Mar 9, 2009 from Nations- Nations- Health-Care-Safety-Net--The-Leadership-Challenge-for-Health-Philanthropy. aspx