New Figures: 1.7 Million Tennesseans Without Health Insurance
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April 1, 2009
Nashville, TN - The group Families USA says almost everyone in America has a family member, neighbor, or friend who has no health insurance. The latest numbers, compiled from census reports, show 1.7 million Tennesseans - or nearly a third of residents under 65 - had no health insurance at some point during the years 2007 and 2008. Three-quarters of those uninsured in Tennessee were in working families.
At a press conference Monday, Tennessee Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper called for immediate action.
"These numbers today are really alarming. This is an American crisis. I would like to see a bill pass Congress by this summer."
Opponents of health care reform say it will cost too much and that the government will become too involved in the health care system.
State Representative Steve Cohen of Memphis says the current health care system is broken and causes financial ruin for many.
"More people go bankrupt because of health costs than for any other reason. It's a moral crisis, but it is an economic crisis as well."
Cohen also points out that American companies that provide health care insurance are at a disadvantage when competing with overseas companies, which don't have to pay for health insurance for their workers because their governments bear the cost.
Susan McKay, communications and development director of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign, says the new numbers for uninsured Tennesseans represent a huge increase from previous estimates.
"We have been saying that on an average one in six Tennesseans is uninsured, but the new news is that it's really closer to one in three."
McKay says the number of uninsured is alarming and reducing it must be of the highest priority.