Being Uninsured: An Epidemic Across the Southern States

During my travels across the South and Southwest, I've seen faces of the uninsured firsthand. It's safe to say that being uninsured is reaching epidemic proportions from Alabama to Arizona with the numbers undoubtedly growing in tandem with rising unemployment.

You might be surprised to learn, like I was, that rates of uninsured are significantly worse in the Southwest, according to the Families USA report Americans at Risk. Texas takes the prize with 43.9% of adults under age 65 (9.3 million) going without coverage for all or part of 2007-08. New Mexico was a close second at 41.4% (.7 million), while Alabama's rate at 30.9% (1.2 million) was the lowest.

Who are the people that make up these statistics? A significant majority, approximately 80%, are working, but for low wages. Overwhelmingly, they are ethnic minorities, e.g., Latinos, African Americans, and "others" who describe themselves as a member of more than one group or American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, Aleut or Eskimo. On the other hand, rates of uninsured whites range from 25.7 to 29.2%.

How Bad Must It Get Before We Fix Healthcare?

You may have read the recent AP article by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, "USA's Uninsured Fail to Show Collective Power." Mr. A-Z is right when he says: “[G]oing without health insurance is seen as a personal issue, a misfortune for many and a choice for some.”

It’s certainly true that most Americans don’t consider themselves their brother’s keeper. That was the opinion of Birmingham talk show host, Matt Murphy, when he interviewed me recently. Mr. Murphy sees being uninsured as a personal failing. He believes people would have health coverage if they were smarter, worked harder, or planned better.

Like most people who have coverage, Mr. Murphy is ignorant of the fact that staying insured isn’t easy these days. If you lose your job, are self-employed, or have anything medically wrong with you, individual coverage is unaffordable or unavailable.

I suspect that more middle class Americans are worried about losing their insurance because our economy is hemorrhaging jobs, and with them, coverage. For every one percent increase in unemployment, an estimated 1.1 million people lose their insurance.

I believe that all of us would be better off if our country provided affordable coverage to everyone. Our productivity would improve, and it would level the playing field for businesses competing globally, because the majority of industrialized countries provide health care to all of their citizens. Not to mention, it’s the humane thing to do.

But most Americans can’t see that – yet. Sadly, it may take the current financial disaster for the majority to believe it’s in their self interest to support health reform. Maybe then, Congress will have the political will to enact guaranteed quality, affordable health care for every American.