Covering the uninsured: There's no time to waste

The number of Americans without insurance went up in 2001, and that increase shows no sign of slowing. The AMA has a plan to make that number go down.

Editorial. Nov. 4, 2002.

It's not like anyone didn't see a rise coming in the number of uninsured, given that the figure was going up even during the 1990s economic boom. If there is any suspense left in this subject, it centers on when Congress will enact the sensible changes that could reverse this dismal trend.

The newly released U.S. Census Bureau figure for the uninsured is 41.2 million as of the end of 2001, up 1.2 million, or 3.5%, from the year before. A decade ago, 33 million uninsured was considered a national disgrace.

Nearly 15% of Americans now have no health insurance. Considering that the sputtering job market and rapidly rising private health insurance premiums are even more a fact of life this year than last, it's best to consider that official figure as just a low-end estimate. The real number is likely ticking up even as you read this.

There was a bit of progress in Washington this year on the uninsured. In August, President Bush signed into law a trade bill that included a provision giving workers displaced by foreign competition tax credits to purchase health insurance -- a $4.8 billion commitment over 10 years. Still, that is not expected to make a large dent in the uninsured population.

What's needed is a much broader look at what can be achieved in greatly increasing the number of insured while keeping what's best with the market-based system that we have. The AMA is the leading proponent of such a plan. It would not only halt the growth of the uninsured, but also greatly cut that number. [...]