The Uninsured in the U.S. Healthcare System

Beginning of article

The Great Wave of Immigration in the United States started in the 1880s. In 1880, the country's population was 50 million (U.S. Census Bureau 2008), virtually all of whom lacked health insurance. Of course, at that time, medical services were scarce and provided only modest benefit. Today, in a country with a population that has grown sixfold and where private- and public-sector forms of health insurance are required to access a highly sophisticated healthcare system, the number of persons who lack health insurance approaches 47 million--just a little less than the entire U.S. population in 1880.

Health insurance has become the dominant mechanism for paying for medical services as a result of the entrepreneurial efforts of insurance companies; the industry-supported development of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans; union bargaining efforts; and government programs for the elderly, poor, and, quite recently, children. Yet for an estimated 47 million, life circumstances or personal choices leave them without healthcare coverage. Lack of health insurance has been associated with limited or no access to comprehensive medical services, worse health outcomes, financial catastrophe for many families, and …