The media spun the report by the U.S. Census Bureau yesterday to show that although poverty numbers were lower, the number of Americans without health insurance was increasing. But they didn’t even get that right.
“There's news on the economy tonight,” said NBC News anchor Brian Williams. “The percentage of Americans living in poverty dropped a bit last year to 12.3 percent from 12.6 percent of the population the year before. But there was bad news on this front as well. The number of Americans without health insurance has gone up from nearly 45 million in 2005 to 47 million Americans last year.”
The statistics Williams is referring to come from the U.S. Census Report, “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2006.” It broke down the 47 million uninsured and reported that a little over 10 million of those uninsured are not a citizen of the United States, something Williams failed to disclose.
CBS “Evening News” took it a step further by sending reporters to a free clinic in Arlington, Va. (where immigrants make up a high percentage of the population) to illustrate the plight of the uninsured. “It's the highest number of uninsured Americans in 20 years – 47 million without health insurance and dozens of them come in every day to the free clinic in Arlington, Va.,” said CBS correspondent Wyatt Andrews. “For house cleaner Mariah Carvealio, who makes $8,000 a year, the clinic is her only option. What if this clinic did not exist?”
What else did CBS and NBC not mention? Those who live in households with income above $50,000 annually (households above the national median income of $48,201) make up almost 18 million of the uninsured. That means 38 percent of the uninsured in this new report could most likely afford coverage, but chose not to have it. That 18 million of the uninsured constitutes most of the 21 million person increase in the uninsured from 2005 to 2006.
All three top liberal Democratic presidential hopefuls politicized the new numbers to further their campaign for socialized medicine.
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CBS/NBC Evening News
August 29, 2007 - 16:12 ET by JDWI did not know they did corrections.
JDW
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
Better then in Clinton peak year
August 29, 2007 - 17:17 ET by roconnellI've gone back and checked this same data for 1996. In 1996 the unisured rate was 15.8% of the population, today it's 15.6% of the population. Wonder why it was not reported that todays levels are lower or at least level with the peak of the so called Clinton expansion.
roconnell aka climate change skeptic
http://climatechangeskeptic.blogspot.com/
And he calls these aliens
August 29, 2007 - 16:14 ET by bassndudeAnd he calls these aliens "Americans"? Just to inflate the numbers. Williams lied to us. Im shocked!
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
Well... Technically they're
August 29, 2007 - 20:02 ET by KhyrisWell... Technically they're from the Americas...
It's like asking how many animals are in the zoo? The answer is different depending on how many guests there are. The MSM will use whatever number works for them.
Just out of curiosity, did the number of illegal aliens and anchor babies increase by 2,000,000 or more? As that would mean the REAL number actually decreased...
I repeat
August 29, 2007 - 16:27 ET by mattmThe "uninsured" problem is a fallacy.
#1 People without "insurance" still receive health care - much of which is paid for by the taxpayers.
#2 Most of what is called "insurance" is actually an HMO membership, which is nothing more than pre-paid medical services rather than an insurance policy.
Here's an excellent source of info on this subject... too bad the MSM isn't interested...
They will exagerate, stretch, lie and make it up
August 29, 2007 - 16:47 ET by c5thenAll to make things appear as they want.
If you remove the 10 million illegal aliens (who wouldn't qualify for government healthcare anyway) and the 18 million who's incomes are above $50,000 a year and obviously choose to opt-out of the system, that leaves 19 million who might want or need health insurance and don't have it for whatever reasons. That is about 6.3% of the population. With the unemployment rate hovering at about 5%, that means that only 1.3% of those with jobs and wanting health insurance don't have it.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
Not to mention the fact
August 29, 2007 - 17:00 ET by mattmNot to mention the fact that about 25% of the uninsured qualify for government programs but don't access them - usually because they don't know about them.
This brings the number down to 14 million, or about 4.7% of the population, which means, according to your calculations, nobody who has a job and wants health insurance doesn't have it.
what are you saying? That
August 29, 2007 - 17:05 ET by mbuelwhat are you saying? That the liberals make up a problem to get the common man to help people who don't really need or want help?
Say it isn't so!
It's a bit more complicated
August 29, 2007 - 17:18 ET by c5thenThe liberals make up a problem to get the government to set up a new program to solve the non-existant problem thereby forcibly taking money from the common man to go to the government coffers in the form of increased taxes. Upon realizing that the problem "is not as bad as originally thought" the government will be free to spend that extra tax money on whatever else it decides to do while still neglecting the borders and the infrastructure of the interstate highway system.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
matt, if liberals succeed in
August 29, 2007 - 17:09 ET by motherbeltmatt, if liberals succeed in convincing the country that people are still not covered because they "don't know" about the programs, the next thing will be that they shouldn't have to "apply" for a program; everyone should just be covered as a matter of course. And that's where they wanted to end up from the beginning.
...
August 29, 2007 - 17:28 ET by mattmThat is definitely a danger....Which is why, as Jefferson said, "Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
Read the link in the above post. It's very interesting. I agree with the gist of it, however it's from a politician, albiet a conservative.
I would opt for total privatization, via MSA's combined with catastrophic coverage (privately acquired) and a safety net program for those who, through no fault of their own, can't get basic care.
For the umpteenth time:
August 29, 2007 - 17:02 ET by motherbeltFor the umpteenth time: lack of health insurance does not mean lack of health care.
By using the free clinic in Virginia, where people without insurance (or citizenship, for that matter), can go for care, to "illustrate the plight of the uninsured", CBS is hoist on its own petard.
SHE seems to have free health care-so what more do they want?
August 29, 2007 - 17:57 ET by RoverYes, that's what struck me, too-this woman didn't have health insurance, and couldn't afford it, so she's getting free care.
What's their complaint, again? I don't see the problem (from their perspective, at least).
Rover
Gettin' old while stayin' the same
August 29, 2007 - 20:22 ET by acumenAfter a while one would think Wiliams would get tired of his producers making him look like a maroon.
How about it Brian? Is it getting old yet?
Well; It's reassuring that
August 29, 2007 - 22:15 ET by M J BWell; It's reassuring that only 35 million are under insured.Can't think what all the fuss is all about!
I'm Ok are you? to hell with the rest.
Have you actually read any
August 30, 2007 - 08:26 ET by Full MonteHave you actually read any of the previous posts MJB? Even if they are underinsured, they are still receiving FREE health care, to include the 10 million people who are here illegally and the 18 million who could afford insurance but choose not to purchase it (probably because they know they can get other taxpayers to foot their bill).