Friday, 20 November 2009

A Puzzle: Why do Americans who can afford Health Insurance remain without it?

According to the latest figures that I have seen, some 47 million Americans don't have health insurance.

However, at least 43% of Americans aged 18 to 64 who lack health insurance have incomes at or above 2.5 times the poverty line. Which suggests that they do have the means to obtain health care coverage!

That's according to June and David O'Neill, of the City University of New York, who analysed a variety of data for the Employment Policies Institute, a think tank.

So why don't these "non-poor" Americans, who can afford health insurance, avoid going in for it?

Could it be that they really do not believe they will need it some time? Are they simply careless, living for the day and not concerned about their own future? Or do they simply not trust the insurance system and/ or health-care provision in the USA?

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