Uninsured Americans

Uninsured Americans

Currently , around 47 million Americans are uninsured . Although this status is not limited to one social class , age group or ethnicity majority of this population exhibit some common individual and demographic characteristics . First , of the number of citizens without insurance , 80 come from working and low-income families (Galambos 2005 . These are headed by parents who work but are barely able to sustain themselves and their children because of insufficient wages

Most hold full-time employment while a significant number are part-time workers . Their jobs are usually those that do not

provide for health care coverage , whether public or commercial , because the worsening economic situation forced employers to exclude this from the benefits they provide or pass the burden of premium payment to the workers themselves (Galambos , 2005 . The workers in turn do not have the means to finance their own health insurance . Losing one 's job or shifting jobs also provide risks to losing one 's health insurance

Second , almost 50 of the uninsured population in the country belongs to the 18 to 24 year old age group followed by those aged 25 to 44 Individuals of the 18-24 age group are prone to being uninsured because they are in the transition period of losing their insured status from a parent 's policy because they no longer qualify as dependents but can possibly acquire insurance if they are employed (Galambos , 2005

Third , the uninsured population displays a higher rate of morbidity and mortality than the insured . They have poorer clinical outcomes for both physical and mental health chronic conditions because preventative health services and diagnostics are inaccessible to them (Galambos 2005 . Worse health conditions and even early death are the results of insufficient health care , physical examinations , treatments medications , health education and follow-up health services

List of References

Galambos , C (2005 . The Uninsured : A Forgotten Population . Health and Social Work , 30

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