From Deseret News archives:
Crisis: health-care gap
18.2% of Utah's working adults lack insurance
According to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control data by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Utah had the 14th highest rate of uninsured working adults among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. If all adults ages 18 to 64 are considered, the state ranks 19th highest with an uninsured rate of 18.9 percent, the study found.
The study was released Wednesday as part of Cover the Uninsured Week 2005, a bipartisan effort to raise public awareness of the health-care affordability crisis. That effort dovetails with legislation sponsored by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that calls for a national dialogue on the health-care crisis and mandatory congressional hearings on the findings of town hall meetings in all 50 states.
"We want to hear from people outside of Washington, D.C.," Hatch said, adding lawmakers want to know what consumers like and don't like about the current health-care system.
Wyden pointed out that $1.8 trillion is spent every year on health care, an amount that if it were divided among the population comes to $6,400 per person. But no one really knows how it is all being spent.
"I've always believed that (health care) is by far and away the most important issue on the domestic front," Wyden said.
And, he added, the uninsured "serve as the canary in the health-care coal mine" by illustrating the inherent problems when a major portion of the population cannot afford adequate health care.
Hatch recognized that many in the pool of the uninsured ignore their health problems until the ailment becomes severe and much more expensive to treat. Earlier treatment means lower health-care costs, he said.
According to the foundation study, Utah has the highest rate of uninsured adults with children in the household (ranked 51), and it has the second highest rate of uninsured Hispanics with 54.7 percent (ranked 50).
Of all the uninsured in Utah, 32.1 percent said they had been unable to afford health care in the past 12 months, compared to 10 percent of the insured population. And 59.8 percent of the uninsured had no personal doctor or health-care provider, compared to 22.5 percent of the insured population.
Comments
- Five players miss Jazz practice 9:22 p.m.
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day 9:18 p.m.
- Utah Capitol renovation boss quits 9:15 p.m.
- Downtown plans three-day 'Eve' 9:13 p.m.
- More than 2 bars per block in S.L. 9:09 p.m.
- Heath care reform advocates rally 9:09 p.m.
- Sandy halts Granite annexations 9:07 p.m.
- Ugandans debate death penalty 9:01 p.m.
- U.S. to fork over $3B to tribes 9:00 p.m.
- Obama: Stimulus to spur job growth 8:59 p.m.
- BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
- Yet again, we learn BCS is a big joke
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day
- Cougars in better mood about bowl
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs
- Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
- Ranking the bowl games
- $2M error could mean layoffs
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- Dr.: Mitchell seeks signs from God
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
278 - Letters: Global warming a lie
212 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
205 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
162 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
142 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
107 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
101 - Harpring's NBA career is over
99
For the latest news in the health care debate and how it affects you...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Joyce Gannon offers the following advice...
We are going to have to find away to survive in the coming turbulent...
That's it? Build your brand and get back to fact based coverage, that's your...
Those who rag on higher education are just crying sour grapes. They reveal...
Spend? What kind of ill concieved logic is this? Any third grader knows...
You want to discipline your child? Fine, that's your right as a parent....
Thanks for the article! There are some very tough wrestlers this year and it...
it's clear to any non-biased observer that the republicans have no desire to...
well, it was kinda nuts that this was ever a restriction in the first place....
i have to agree with Jordan fan, Alex Hart was the real deal this past...
7500 seats sold that is not just for fun. I went to the game and was totally...



You can be the first to comment on this story.