Government
Uninsured numbers inflated, group claims
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 28, 2005
Far fewer than the commonly cited 43 million uninsured Americans actually lack access to coverage, according to an analysis by the Foundation for Health Coverage Education, a California-based nonprofit organization formed to educate people about eligibility for public health programs.
Many of these uninsured people are not poor, they just choose not to purchase insurance, the group said. Millions more are children who should be enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program or Medicaid, said Philip Lebherz, executive director and founder of FHCE.
Lawmakers should spend less effort on setting up new programs to cover people and more on getting eligible people enrolled in existing programs, he added.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/03/28/gvbf0328.htm.
