BCT Editorial – 5/16/05

This page was last updated on May 21, 2005.

Health care; Editorial; Beaver County Times; May 16, 2005.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“Eight percent of Pennsylvania’s residents, some 900,000 people, have no health-care insurance.

“And here’s the scary part. The fact that only one in 12 residents is uninsured is good news when compared to the national average.”

[RWC] I have reason to doubt this “data.” See my critique of the editorial entitled “Unfair and unjust.”

“The Associated Press reports the statewide survey on health insurance was based on information from about 17,000 Pennsylvanians.

“Close to 1.9 million Pennsylvanians have coverage through Medicaid or one of the state’s low-cost insurance programs, while two-thirds, or about 8 million, are insured through the private market.

“Excluding senior citizens, who qualify for Medicare coverage, 9 percent of Pennsylvanians 64 and younger do not have health insurance, well below the national average of 17 percent, the AP reported.

“Unfortunately, this generally good news isn’t likely to last. Because of long-term, global trends, the number of uninsured workers is going to increase as employment in Pennsylvania moves from manufacturing to retail and service industries.

“Without a major reversal in coverage trends at the state and national level, the commonwealth is going to start looking more like the nation than the other way around.”

[RWC] Most of my response to this editorial is covered by the critique cited above.

I want to make one last point I’ve made in other critiques. Not having healthcare insurance is not the same as not having access to healthcare. I believe it’s clear the Times editorial board wants us to believe they are the same thing.