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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (55183)	9/9/2004 8:57:17 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

locally, the hospital took a house a week from those without insurance...of course, that was under Clinton...it's probably more like a house a day under Bush.

To: Road Walker who wrote (55183)	9/9/2004 10:37:54 PM
From: longnshort	Respond to of 89467

have you been to an inner city hospital? it's against the law not to treat them. You sir are an idiot

To: Road Walker who wrote (55183)	9/9/2004 11:06:13 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

RE: caring for the uninsured...WASHINGTON, DC— Uninsured Americans could incur nearly $41 billion in uncompensated health care treatment in 2004, with federal, state and local governments paying as much as 85 percent of the care, according to a new Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) study. Even with uncompensated care, the study shows that people uninsured for the entire year can expect to receive about half as much care as people fully insured. Another major finding of the study, authored by Urban Institute researchers Jack Hadley and John Holahan, is that if the country provided coverage to all the uninsured, the cost of additional medical care provided to the newly insured would be $48 billion—an increase of 0.4 percent in health spending’s share of the gross domestic product. "Leaving 44 million Americans uninsured exacts a substantial price on society as well as individuals, while covering the uninsured would improve their health care without generating large increases in overall health spending," said Diane Rowland, executive director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. The study, released on the first day of Cover the Uninsured Week, measures the direct cost of care if all the uninsured were provided coverage and used the health system at rates comparable to the insured population. It reflects the potential increase in overall health spending directly attributable to the uninsured, but does not take into account the additional costs associated with major health coverage proposals. kff.org

To: Road Walker who wrote (55183)	9/9/2004 11:08:41 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 89467

Meanwhile in TX: Most uninsured Texans work full-time 05:13 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 Associated Press DALLAS – Three-fourths of uninsured Texans have full-time jobs but cannot afford health insurance, according to a report released Wednesday by the Texas Association of Business. The study also shows that more than half of Texans without health coverage live in households earning more than $75,000 a year. The statistics show the need for changes to the state's insurance laws to combat the soaring costs, said Bill Hammond, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business, which represents more than 140,000 small and large companies and 200 chambers of commerce. "Businesses are struggling to provide their employees with health insurance," Hammond said Wednesday at the group's conference on health-care issues. Texas has the highest rate of uninsured non-elderly residents, about one-fourth of the state's population, according to U.S. census data. Some 4.8 million Texans had no insurance in 2003, an increase of 300,000 from 2002, according to the National Academy of Sciences. In its report called "Texas Health Care in Crisis: No Easy Cure," the group asks state lawmakers to expand a 2003 law allowing insurance companies and HMOs to offer lower-priced plans that exclude benefits previously required by the state – benefits the group says have run up costs. "The question is – is it better to have some insurance or none at all?" Hammond said. Such "consumer choice plans" are primarily intended for individuals and small employers. Hammond said the new law was an important step toward more affordable insurance, but his group wants lawmakers to exempt companies from more requirements – including paying half of costs when an employee goes to a doctor outside a network. Consumer advocates have said the state must continue to require HMOs to cover services related to certain major illnesses. The Texas Association of Business also recommends that the state adopt a more enforceable health-care fraud statute modeled after the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The group and others also want the state to create a consumer right-to-know act providing access to information about the cost and quality of health care, as well as data about doctors' and hospitals' medical errors. This text is invisible on the page, but this text is affected by the invisible item's flow. This text is invisible on the page, but this text is affected by the invisible item's flow. dallasnews.com