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- Title
The Uninsured: A Forgotten Population.
- Authors
Galambos, Colleen
- Abstract
The article presents the author's observation on the growing number of uninsured individuals in the U.S. since the 1980s. It is estimated that over 43 million people in the U.S. do not have health insurance or 15.2 percent of the total population. Due to sampling and methodological difficulties, various studies produce different statistics. The decline of the economy over the past few years has resulted in more individuals finding themselves in positions of unemployment or underemployment. Each change in employment circumstances has the potential to affect health insurance benefits. Furthermore, only two-thirds of U.S. workers are offered health insurance by their employers. People are also at risk of becoming uninsured during life transitions. One of the most vulnerable population groups is the middle-age to young-old age group who have developed chronic illnesses. In fact, about two-thirds of the 43 million uninsured are members of lower-income families. The uninsured lack a consistent source of medical care and rely on emergency services for treatment. The cost of uncompensated health care in the U.S. is more than $30 billion annually. A strong social work presence is needed to help ensure that there is more equity in health care coverage.
- Subjects
UNITED States; NATIONAL health insurance; HEALTH insurance; EMPLOYMENT; HEALTH services accessibility; MEDICAL care costs; SOCIAL services
- Publication
Health & Social Work, 2005, Vol 30, Issue 1, p3
- ISSN
0360-7283
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/hsw/30.1.3