Government
Report: 12 million uninsured are eligible for public coverage
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 19, 2008
About 12 million of the 47 million uninsured people in the U.S. are eligible for public health coverage but fail to enroll because they fear the stigma attached to such programs, do not know the programs exist, or are unsure how to enroll or stay enrolled, according to a new report by the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
Also, although childless adults account for more than half of the uninsured, states generally restrict this population's access to public health programs more than they do for children or parents, the report stated. "The paucity of public coverage for low-income childless adults is really troubling," said Nancy Chockley, the foundation's president and CEO. "This is a population that really can only be helped by an expansion of public programs or some form of subsidy, yet we don't see a lot of that out there across the states." The report, "Understanding the Uninsured: Tailoring Policy Solutions for Different Subpopulations," is online (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/05/19/gvbf0519.htm.
