Unemployed Americans are in peril of uninsured

 

Wednesday, Apr 15,2009, 3:32:17 PM   Click:

For many unemployed workers in the United States, the most frightening part of the loss of their jobs are losing their health insurance.


Even before the current economic crisis, 45 million Americans are uninsured. This number should increase to 54 million by 2019 if changes are not made to the system, according to the director of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

One of the ranks, Amy Newlin, was getting his savings and unemployment benefits after she and her husband have lost their jobs last fall.

But if they can reduce the dinners, new clothes or other inessential, the costs of treating diabetes, hypertension and thyroid problems have increased dramatically.

"I need insulin, test strips for my blood, and medications for my high blood pressure," said Newlin AFP.

"My insulin is 80 dollars a bottle without insurance and the tapes are expensive, too. It is not easy to follow."

Indiana woman was one of dozens who attended a meeting Thursday for uninsured people to enroll funded by the government for health care.

Health officials at the clinic held in the basement of an elementary school to cope with a surge in number of candidates as a stream of forced redundancies evaluations of area residents from their employer provided plans and the danger is not guaranteed to be in America.

Newlin arrived prepared with a folder jammed with old pay stubs, birth certificate and other documents necessary to ensure it is signed.
But even if it qualifies, it will take some time before it the insured and of any serious illness or accident could bankrupt his family.

Health care has long been a contentious issue in American social and political life.
High costs, excluding patients with preexisting conditions and bureaucratic snafus plague the private system, which is inaccessible for a growing number of Americans.

The federal government maintains two systems of health care: Medicaid for the poor and Medicare for the elderly. They currently amount to 5 percent of America's gross domestic product.

But the costs will be more than double to 12 percent in 2050, under the Congressional Budget Office estimates.

Indiana has launched a plan in early 2008 to cover part, the working poor, single parents, disabled moderate, who are not covered by Medicaid.

Residents are not eligible until they have spent six months is not assured, and there is a small fee for participants, helping to maintain costs.

Barack Obama was the Chairman health care reform a central element of his populist platform when he ran for the White House.

And great encouragement, he signed Tuesday includes plans to help cover the costs of temporary staff for evaluations of the coverage of workers and possibly extend Medicaid coverage to other uninsured Americans, which would normally not eligible.

However, reform has been hampered by the distraction and cost of the current economic crisis, with the loss of first choice for Obama's health secretary, Tom Daschle, who withdrew in the middle of the exam questions on his tax history.

Washington political infighting is a far those gathered in the cafeteria floor coloré Indiana Fairfield Elementary School.

Newlin, for one, does not have much hope for the government to resolve anything soon.

"I do not even know if they know where half of that money goes," she said of the stimulus.

Brenda and Jerome Lewis, a couple in their mid-50, have been without insurance since October when she lost her job and their coverage.

They are hoping Obama will bring change and are grateful for the work of people who organized the clinic, but turn to a greater power of the balance of these times.

"Currently, by the grace of God, so good for us. We are praying that everything will be fine, "said Jerome Lewis.