So, not too long ago — maybe a month ago — there I was sitting across from her at the Blue Ox in Lake Orion. Red hair, freckles, glasses. She’s rather short, but I didn’t fake dropping something under the table to see if her feet touched the floor whilst sitting in a chair.
In between bites of the brisket sandwich, slathered up with hot bbq sauce, we chitchatted. We talked about the weather, Government Motors Corp, employment, the economy — all those things you do trying to feel out a person on the first date.
Except this wasn’t a date. She didn’t use the hot bbq sauce on her sandwich, and, really, it wasn’t a ‘chitchat? that was going on . . . I was asking a lot of questions and she was doing her best to answer.
She is Sylvia Warner, Congressman Mike Rogers? press secretary. She has been a godsend. In another life she was a reporter-type, and I think she has a soft spot for community journalists. She always returns calls, never too busy to answer emails or to ask her boss my questions.
As a small peanuts journalist (which really means I am just an average Joe whose boss buys ink by the tanker load) it is refreshing to have access to a United States congressman. In this day and age of rekindled ‘I love my country but fear my government,? it is refreshing to get answers to the questions I have asked. Whether or not I have asked the correct questions remains to be seen.
The one question I really wanted answers for, she didn’t have. I asked, ‘I hear this number — there are 47 million Americans uninsured, roughly 15 percent of the people in America, and that is why we need to destroy health care in America. What is the breakdown of those 47 million people??
I knew my question was leading, cuz I used the word ‘destroying,? when I should have said, ‘changing? the health care system working for 85 percent of Americans.
The conversation kinda tapered off after that and we went our separate ways. Me to my office, she to where ever press secretaries go after being grilled for an hour by lowly members of the press.
Oh well. The lunch was good and it didn’t cost me anything. End of story . . . right? Nope.
The next morning, whilst checking my email, I noticed one from Sylvia. Her opening went like this: ‘The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that last year 47 million people ? about 15 percent of all Americans ? went without health insurance for some period of time. This number is widely cited when describing our struggle to improve health care access and affordability, but here are some important facts about those without health coverage . . .?
The ‘healthy and able? are more than 17 million without health insurance who earn more than $50,000 per year, and more than 9 million of them make more than $75,000. So, almost 40 percent of the uninsured population make substantially more than the U.S. median household income of $46,326, indicating that millions of the uninsured could afford some type of health insurance, but choose not to because they are healthy or choose to take the risk. Many of them are single, young professionals.
Those already eligible for government assistance, according to a study analyzing Census Bureau population data, include more than 11 million low-income uninsured individuals already eligible for a government program, primarily Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). In fact, more than 75 percent of uninsured children are eligible for SCHIP, but have not been enrolled.
Illegal immigrants? Believe it or not, according to the Census Bureau, an estimated 10 million people without health insurance are listed as ‘not citizens.? That does not include legal immigrants, foreign-born or naturalized citizens. Simply put, more than 10 million people in the Census Bureau estimates are illegal immigrants.
The temporarily uninsured ? about 21 million ? make up almost half of the uninsured, going without health coverage for less than four months, meaning many are transitioning between jobs.
* * *
I have a couple of questions.
1. Is it technically the ‘truth? that illegal immigrants won’t be covered, as the president says, because the U.S. calls ’em ‘not citizens??
2. Why do those numbers above equal 59 million instead of 47 million?
3. And, if we take out the 10 million ‘not? citizens and enroll the 8.25 million eligible uninsured children — why wreck everything for well over 90 percent of Americans? Why not just help the 7.5% of Americans who need it? What about tort reform? What about punishing health care abusers, doctors, lawyers, insurance folk and patients?
4. How do you get to be a ‘not? citizen?
5. Why do I insist on using the word ‘whilst??
Comments, questions, et al can be emailed to don@dontrushmedon.com