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September 27, 2006
Blame Canada? Mexico? HMOs?
Jane's post arguing (in part) that the growth in the uninsured over the last decade has come mainly in the foreign born population is an important one, and should be taken seriously. However, I think they almost obscure more than they illuminate, and deserve a bit more context. What's fascinating about the data she cites is that the actual percentage of both natives and foreign-born residents lacking health insurance has changed relatively little. Since 1993, the number of native-born Americans with coverage has ranged between 86.3% and 88.1%, with 2005 seeing 86.6%. As for the number of foreign-born Americans, their coverage numbers have remained between 65.5 percent and 67.7 percent, with 2005 ending at 66.4%. Which is to say the percentage covered among both groups has remained relative stable.
What did happen is that the foreign-born population increased from 22 million to 35 million over that period: a far more rapid expansion than the native population saw during the same timespan. Indeed, while in 1993, 32 million native-born Americans were uninsured and 7 million foreign-born Americans lacked coverage, in 2005, 35 million native-born Americans were uninsured while 12 million foreign-born Americans went without protection. While the uninsured of each population remained approximately the same, the foreign-born population exhibited a great absolute increase. None of which really changes the basic narrative: 35 million uninsured natives, 12 million uninsured foreigners, 47 million uninsured total. Nothing to be proud of.
September 27, 2006 in Insurance | Permalink
Comments
Why do bloggers, yourself included, even give "Galt" the time of day? Her comments section reads like LGF with tweed elbow patches.
She is a perfect emblem of cheap-shot Republicans masquerading under the banner of Libertarianism. No solutions, only wise cracks, and the annoying tendancy to use facts in the same way whores use lampposts: not for illumination, but for support.
Christ almighty, one would think that a blogger whose name is a play on a character from Atlas Shrugged would be radioactive enough...
Posted by: Jimmm | Sep 27, 2006 9:10:42 AM
"Her comments section reads like LGF with tweed elbow patches.
She is a perfect emblem of cheap-shot Republicans masquerading under the banner of Libertarianism. No solutions, only wise cracks, and the annoying tendancy to use facts in the same way whores use lampposts: not for illumination, but for support."
This is why I've stopped posting there. I just got tired of her cheap shots followed by long-winded rationalizations of the merit of the argument.
The specific incident that stopped my posting related to you, Ezra, where you had characterized some data in a way that would casts doubt on the relationship between minimum wages and unemployment. She responded with snark, like you are some kind of idiot, and that somehow your point is not just invalid, but totally freakin stupid. It was a cheap shot, and I called her on it. That there was any question about this link with this specific data was your point - and was damn good point. She tried to back out, use other stats, say she was only joking, and then just got pissed.
And the comments section is filled with loonies who can't seem to grasp that their preferred policy initiatives could only be implemented in a military dictatorship because of the massive unpopularity of both the premises and execution of those policies, all the while stamping the smallest dissent from their party line of 'we only allow hammers here, so hell ya, it must be a nail'. She barely grasps this point herself.
I know, she seems reasonable. Judge her by the company she keeps.
Posted by: mickslam | Sep 27, 2006 9:49:22 AM
Mexicans who venture to this country out of desperation are blamed for everything. However, no one stops to think that immigrants have shaped this country.
Posted by: Fr. Abad | Sep 27, 2006 9:51:22 AM
Mexicans who venture to this country out of desperation are blamed for everything. However, no one stops to think that immigrants have shaped this country.
Actually, many of us do just that. The problem is that a lot of Americans are stuck on the "it's somebody elses fault - blame anyone but me" paradigm. I place the blame for the immigration issue itself in the lap of US foreign policy and the oligarchy in Mexico. Both are complicit and both are necessary to foster real change.
Posted by: DuWayne | Sep 27, 2006 10:46:05 AM
"None of which really changes the basic narrative"
I don't know that you can justify that, the 'basic narrative' I have seen espoused is that things are getting worse for people. This data argues that things are staying the same for people, at least in regards to having insurance or not.
I suppose you could argue that the 12 million uninsured foreigner-born people (and 2.5 uninsured foreign born Americans) are worse off now from a medical perspective than before they emigrated, but I think that would be hard to do.
Of course you can argue that even though things are staying the same it isn't good enough and we need to change, fair enough, but saying that that isn't a change in the narative seems a bit disengenuous.
Posted by: Dave Justus | Sep 27, 2006 12:06:52 PM
Well, like most stats they don't really apply except in the general sense.
Unfortunately I became uninsured a year ago and am insureable only at the laughable sum of $1000 a month.
Now that matters.
Big risk pool - best idea - all of us together.
Posted by: Ed D. | Sep 28, 2006 9:37:22 AM
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