Uninsured by choice?
Hispanics Push Texas to No. 1 in Uninsured Residents
By Jason Roberson
Hispanic Business
August 29, 2007
Texas again ranks No. 1 with the highest percentage of uninsured residents in the nation — primarily due to the state’s growing Hispanic population, according to a report issued Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Because of their low wages, many Hispanics have to set priorities, said Jaime Martinez, co-chairman of the health commission for the League of United Latin American Citizens, the country’s oldest civil rights group for Latin Americans.
“They would rather put money on the table, pay the light bill, pay the rent, than buy insurance that’s very costly,” Mr. Martinez said. “That’s why we need to address the health care of the uninsured and underinsured in this country.”
The National Center for Policy Analysis, a conservative Dallas-based research group, said a growing number of households are uninsured because they want to be.
“Whether it be cultural or a matter of economics, for a growing number of households being uninsured is a matter of choice,” said Devon Herrick, a senior fellow of the NCPA.
Bill McCormick, a 55-year-old computer systems analyst from Richardson, is an example.
“I am not Hispanic and I don’t have medical insurance,” Mr. McCormick said in response to Tuesday’s news. “That was the choice I made … drop the medical insurance or go hungry.”
The NCPA is fighting the move for a single-payer, government-run health care system, saying a free-market system is best.
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=75135&cat=Headlines&more=/news/more-news.asp
Comment:
By Don McCanne, MD
As anticipated, the opponents of comprehensive reform are framing the increase in the numbers of uninsured as a matter of personal choice for many.
Does their outspoken insensitivity to the unmet health care needs in this nation really resonate with the public? If not, then why doesn’t our compassion translate into action?