Recently released figures show that the number of people without health insurance in the US rose in 2006 from 44.8 million, or 15.3% of the population, to 47 million, or 15.8%. The increase reflects the ongoing reduction in employer-based health care, covering only 59.7% of the population in 2006, down from 60.2% in 2005. This is a crisis that is not going to abate. I sincerely believe that a single payer system is the best option, from the point of view of efficiency, equity and solidarity (follow link to the arguments).
A key concern is the continued rise in the number of uninsured children, with 600,000 more children joining this ignoble club in 2006. This comes at a time when the administration is vowing to use the veto pen to prevent an expansion of Children’s Health Insurance Program. They oppose on strictly ideological grounds as they do not want any “crowding out” of private insurance. As noted by Paul Krugman recently, to be consistent, they would also need to also argue that the government should stop subsidizing middle class children’s education, as “if public schools weren’t available, many families would pay for private schools instead.” But don’t expect consistency. And meanwhile, the health care crisis continues…
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