You might think that you know certain things about people who don’t have health insurance. Could those ideas be nothing more than a myth? Taking a look at the data surrounding who does, and who does not, have health insurance provides an interesting look at what is really going on.
One common belief is that the only people who do not have health insurance are those who are living in poverty conditions. Another common belief is that the only people who choose not to have health insurance are the people who are young, and healthy, and who have no serious illnesses, disorders, or conditions.
Nearly 50 million Americans are without health insurance, and have been without it for at least some part of the past year. Federal health officials have reported that this number has increased since 2008, when there were 46 million Americans who did not have health insurance. According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of young and middle class adults who do not have health insurance increased by 4 million people between 2008 and 2010. This means that it is a myth that only the poorest people lack insurance. Half of the people who are uninsured are people whose income is higher than poverty level.
The data also reveals that more than two out of five people who did not have health insurance were people who had one or more chronic diseases. This dispels the myth it is only the healthy people who are lacking health insurance. Other data reveals that adults who have chronic medical problems, but no health insurance to help them with the cost of medical care, skip or delay getting the care they need. This is the case for more than 40% of uninsured adults who have diabetes, high blood pressure, or asthma. People who have a disability were twice as likely to skip or delay getting medical care, according to this same report. Therefore, it is only a myth that the people who do not have health insurance are young and healthy, and that they are making the choice not to get health insurance.
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