Time for a change in our attitude about National Health Policy?
Cover the Uninsured Week reports that 45 million Americans lack any
type of insurance coverage for an entire year... American Public
Health Association expresses alarm
WASHINGTON, April 27 /U.S. Newswire/ -- As a national supporter of
Cover the Uninsured Week, the American Public Health Association (APHA)
today expressed alarm that 45 million Americans -- 15.6 percent of
the total U.S. population -- lack insurance coverage of any kind for
an entire year. Eight out of 10 uninsured Americans either work or
are in working families, according to federal data.
"In the wealthiest industrialized nation, 45 million
Americans have no health insurance, including more than 8 million
children," said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, executive director of
the American Public Health Association. "This staggering statistic
endangers the health of millions across the spectrum of society.
Solving this crisis should be a top priority for our elected
leaders, and we're committed to working toward comprehensive health
care coverage for all Americans. Access to care is a right, not a
privilege, to which every person is entitled."
People without health insurance do not receive routine
preventive health services, receive too little medical care too
late, are sicker and die sooner and receive poorer care when they
are hospitalized. Also, when seeking care, they are often sicker and
therefore more expensive to treat. Frequently, uninsured Americans
seek care at the nearest hospital emergency room, which is an
expensive and inefficient way to get care.
To address the growing crisis of the uninsured, APHA issued
14 points on universal health care, available at
http://www.apha.org/legislative/issues/14points.htm.
Included among these points is a call for the following:
-- Universal coverage for everyone in the United States with
comprehensive benefits, affordable prices and quality services
-- Organization and administration of health care through
publicly accountable mechanisms to assure maximum responsiveness to
public needs, with a major role for federal, state and local
government health agencies
-- Attention to the organization, staffing, delivery and
payment of care to the needs of all populations, including those
confronting geographic, physical, cultural, language and other
non-financial barriers to service
The American Public Health Association, the oldest
organization of public health professionals, represents more than
50,000 members from over 50 public health occupations. More
information is available at
http://www.apha.org.
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