Uninsured concern all

If you have medical insurance, count your lucky stars. Nearly 19 percent of Utahns ages 18-64 do not have health-care coverage, which can be an economic disaster if something catastrophic occurs.

The issue does not confine itself to people who have no insurance. When people are unable to pay for their care, the costs are absorbed by people with insurance, employers who provide insurance to their employees and the health-care system itself. It means higher health-care premiums and reductions in benefits. It also makes it more expensive for employers to provide affordable coverage options for their workers. In other words, we're all in this thing together.

Somehow, Americans need to figure out how to fix this problem. It's difficult to contemplate that in one of the world's most affluent nations between 44 million and 36 million Americans have no health insurance. Earlier estimates placed the number at 44 million, but new government-funded reports suggest the number may have been overstated by as much as 20 percent.

Regardless, the medically uninsured are vulnerable in many ways. Most receive no preventive care, which could prevent small issues from becoming life-threatening, and which also contain health-care costs. People who have no insurance put off seeking health care. They live with illnesses and thus often die earlier than people with health-care coverage.

Particularly disturbing is the number of Utah children who live in households that have no health insurance. According to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control data by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Utah has the highest rate of uninsured adults with children in the household nationwide.

All the hand-wringing in the world won't solve this issue. But series of community events in each of the 50 states this week should shed considerable light on the medically uninsured. In Utah, Cover the Uninsured Week begins today with a summit to discuss health-care problems and possible solutions. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. (For a complete listing of Utah-specific events go online to covertheuninsuredweek.org).

These events dovetail with legislation sponsored by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., that calls for mandatory congressional hearings on the findings of town hall meetings on the health-care crisis in all 50 states.

These forums will provide a great opportunity for everyday Americans to help define the problems of the medically uninsured as well as issues of access to health care. Utahns should use these opportunities to help frame the issues from the perspective of health-care consumers. Otherwise, the debate will be controlled by special-interest groups that vie for the attention of Congress.