The Virginian-Pilot
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NORFOLK
Recent estimates from the U.S. Census revealed something surprising about people without health insurance in Norfolk.
They're not necessarily poor.
In 2010, nearly one in 10 Norfolk residents in households earning $100,000 or more were uninsured, compared with about 5.6 percent in the state, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Roughly 17.6 percent of the city's residents in households earning $75,000 to $99,999 held no coverage - significantly more than the state average of 9.8 percent for that income bracket.
Mark Pauly, a professor of health care management with the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, said he wasn't sure what forces were at work in Norfolk.
However, he offered a general profile of the so-called nonpoor uninsured.
They're often in their 20s or 30s and in good health. They work for a small firm or as consultants in arrangements where extra cash replaces medical benefits. They tend to live paycheck to paycheck, max out their credit cards, and forgo other types of insurance.
"They tend to be the grasshoppers, not the ants," Pauly said.
Another possibility? The "nonpoor" uninsured actually are relatively poor: They just happen to live in a household in which someone else makes the income and receives the health benefits.
"There are many ways to be uninsured," Pauly said.
- Chris Dinsmore, The Pilot
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Not that expensive
I'm in my 50's, self-employed and have an Anthem BCBS policy that allows me 3 doctor visits a year with a copay, and a $5000 deductible for major medical for less than $200/month. It's affordable if you prioritize, are healthy and are willing to take a higher deductible.
I say we make medical
I say we make medical insurance illegal, and get rid of medicare and medicaid.
Let the medical industry operate in a real free market, and we can watch their prices actually adjust to match that of the incomes of the people.
That or they can go out of business.
If you want to repeal Obamacare
Then you need to repeal EMTALA too, so that hospitals and medical providers are not required to treat patients who cannot pay. Make it the same as auto insurance, if you don't have coverage, the body shop doesn't have to fix your car. That is where the health insurance debate is different, no one is required to do work for free in any other occupation except medical.
The comments on this article
The comments on this article are far more informative than the actual article itself. Lacks any detailed info or exact data.
This is an article that provides zero creditable analysis.
This is an article that provides zero creditable analysis.
for a couple of hundred
for a couple of hundred dollars a month as a single guy i can get VERY basic health insurance that will get me $10 co pays on prescriptions. thats about all you get. maybe an annual physical. i can turn my own head and cough for free. so if once a year i need a hundred dollars worth of prescriptions for $2400. plus the $10 copay. all the while making about 40k. lets do some math. it doesnt work. 5% of my pretax income goes to something i really cant use. if i want health insurance thats actually usable, move that parcentage to around 25%. can anyone of you afford to give away 25% of your pretax earnings to something you MIGHT use? im not one that can. 40k goes far enough to not have the lights turned off. hello mr obumma.
Your data is flawed.
Creditable health insurance for one person costs between 6 and 8 thousand per year. Just ask any public employee.
Your data is flawed.
If you go straight to Blue
If you go straight to Blue Cross rather than pay on a group policy, it's going to depend largely on age. My 24 yr old daughter was just over $2K/yr. Mine's over $13k/yr between age and risk.
Same argument
I believe you just made his point. $8k is 20% of $40k, which is quite a large chunk of change, in his case 3+ times his current premiums. Not everyone can afford to give away 20% of their income.
Health Insurance
There are a few people who, even thou they earn a significant income still don't have health insurance, but they are few in number compared to the vast majority of uninsured Americans (50 million plus now!). There are many reasons for this, loss of job, a pre existing condition or a minimum wage job where one simply cannot pay the premiums. I have always supported a single payer health plan. All the arguments against it pale in comparison to having no health insurance at all! MEDICARE for all would be a good start. I listened to the Republican debate and was astonished to hear Conservatives applaud the idea of someone without health care being left to die in the streets. Check it out for yourself on u tube.