Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The New York Times and the Census Bureau sought to find out where do those without health insurance live? For the first time, in a survey taken last year and released in September, over all it found that 9.9 percent of children lack any health insurance, half the rate for adults under 65.
Children in Texas, a red state represented by two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson, both of whom oppose the public option and the state with the most uninsured, are more than eight times as likely not to have it than children in Massachusetts, a state represented by two Democratic senators, John Kerry and the late Ted Kennedy, with the least number of uninsured.
Those who lack health insurance now are far more likely to live in states that usually vote Republican — the states whose senators and representatives are least likely to support healthcare reform and will undoubted choose to opt-out of a government run health insurance scheme. Denying heath insurance to the people they allegedly represent is a bedrock, conservative value.
In the healthcare debate currently underway, Democrats have generally supported plans aimed at assuring all Americans have some health insurance, while nearly all Republicans have opposed such efforts. If healthcare reform is successfully passed with the public option and includes the opt-out provision, I will enjoy the visage of Republican members of Congress struggle to explain to their uninsured constituents why they voted to deny them access to healthcare, all in the name of political ideology.
13 Comments
+ at 9:11 am
I wonder if the so-called “opt out” provision will create a mass diaspora of uninsured residents of red states like Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, relocate to progressive states like California, Washington and New York, in the quest to get coverage under the public option? The “opt out” provision could change the face of the U.S.
+ at 10:01 am
You’re right Fem. I think it will drive away business too because their employees/families won’t have that option.
Moveover the issue will be a boon the Dems/progressive in those states.
+ at 10:25 am
Cardboard boxes.
+ at 10:26 am
Interesting piece Christopher. I would like to see some of the dems hammer this home on the sunday shows…
+ at 12:09 pm
Christopher, many of those “red” states are also victims of lack of choice. Georgia, for example, only has one company providing health insurance for all Georgia residents.
+ at 12:48 pm
Interesting map. I wonder if other news sources will pick this up so that people in those states can see what’s going on.
+ at 2:30 pm
California and New York will never opt-out of the public option. Neither will Illinois, Maryland or Massachusetts.
But red states below the Mason Dixon line will opt-out and as Christopher points out, lawmakers will have to justify why they would prevent the poorest and most needy in their state from getting the medical care they need.
Let this be a wake up to conservative voters in Texas, Tennessee and Mississippi: if you enjoy being kicked to the curb keep electing Republicans who don’t care about you.
+ at 4:07 pm
Great piece Christopher. Very informative.
+ at 4:24 pm
I’ve said on this blog for two years. I passed on a job in Texas because it’s just too conservative for me. I would rather stay in San Diego.
+ at 4:52 pm
of course those states are the worst when it comes to health care
they are also the worst when it comes to education, divorce, disease, income, etc.
30 years of voting against your own best interests to insure “men of god” get elected is the best road to hell
and you know what – it will never change in those states. they would rather have uneducated and sick children than anything a black man or democrat wants
+ at 9:04 pm
Here in AZ both Kyle and McCain oppose health care reform. They also oppose getting rid of DOMA/DADT, oppose gay marriage, and want to increase the Afghanistan offensive. They have a bunch of retired blue hairs in Sun City voting them and the dumbest Sheriff in America (Sheriff Joe Arpaio) in year after year after year. Happily they both oppose any help regarding illegal reform for those who we put to work here for a decade, then whom we asked to get the hell out once the economy went bad. I say happily because the ones who are legal are becoming a huge voting block, and might just oust them when their respective elections come up.
+ at 11:28 pm
Oh hell no! We don’t want all those rubes from Texas moving here in California. The ones who live outside the big cities vote Republican. Let them pull themselves by their own boot straps –just like they love to tell us when times are hard.
As for the ones living in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, come on over.
+ at 4:07 am
[...] ahead red states, opt the fuck out. Watch the rest of us laugh in your [...]