"Many other Americans lack health insurance because they are out of work. True, a good health care system should be robust to macroeconomic disturbances, but with employment and productivity rising, these people do not represent much of a current case for reform."
I am always impressed by an argument that I do "not represent much of a current case for reform."
"15 million of the uninsured have incomes of $50,000 or more. The fastest-growing population of uninsured has incomes exceeding $75,000. About 14 million are eligible for Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Plan but are not enrolled.
[...]
The bottom line: When you put all the pieces together, the crisis of the uninsured is not nearly as bad as it sounds."
Also, statistics prove that bumblebees don't fly.
I read this sort of argument with some frequency. It's always interesting to read that one's self, and millions of other people don't "really" exist and aren't "really" important. It makes things not nearly so bad as they sound!
Why are we talking about insurance? Should we be talking about access to health care???
Posted by Anonymous | Link to this comment | 12- 5-03 10:35 AM
That depends on what you mean by "access."
Posted by ogged | Link to this comment | 12- 5-03 10:38 AM
"Many other Americans lack health insurance because they are out of work. True, a good health care system should be robust to macroeconomic disturbances, but with employment and productivity rising, these people do not represent much of a current case for reform."
I am always impressed by an argument that I do "not represent much of a current case for reform."
"15 million of the uninsured have incomes of $50,000 or more. The fastest-growing population of uninsured has incomes exceeding $75,000. About 14 million are eligible for Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Plan but are not enrolled.
[...]
The bottom line: When you put all the pieces together, the crisis of the uninsured is not nearly as bad as it sounds."
Also, statistics prove that bumblebees don't fly.
I read this sort of argument with some frequency. It's always interesting to read that one's self, and millions of other people don't "really" exist and aren't "really" important. It makes things not nearly so bad as they sound!
Posted by Gary Farber | Link to this comment | 12- 5-03 12:23 PM