Steve Verdon [1] over at OTB this morning links a Michael Canon [2] piece at Cato:
Cannon argues that the number is overstated for the following reasons,
- 20% of the uninsured are eligible for government health programs.
- 75% of the uninsured can afford insurance (the implication that they just decide not to buy it).
I have to say that even though Cannon and I share political views here I’m not inclined to merely take his word for it. Still even if he is “half right” it implies that about 40% of the uninsured either are not really uninsured or that they choose to be uninsured.
Verdon goes on to try and split the difference and say that still amounts to 35 million uninsured.
Frankly, I don’t buy that one, either. Every example the democrats have given us, within this SCHIP nonsense, including the Frosts, have proven to be covered under the current plan. Under no conditions, have the proponents of expanding SCHIP given us a good reason, and a practical example, of why this gross example of government largess requires expansion.
All of which leaves aside the somewhat more fundamental question of the morality of stealing from me and mine to pay for such largess.
And by the way, while we’re on that subject, I see Bruce McQuain has noted the Democrats trotting out another family. [3] Bruce notes… and correctly, that this family too, is already covered under the current program. After running the numbers, he says;
Sounds like a family for which the program was originally designed. And lo and behold they’ve already used it. Under the present law their child would remain covered.
Question: How do to the Wilkersons argue for the expansion of the program that the Democrats are trying ram through that could include families 400% over the poverty level and “children” who are 25?
They don’t.
So other than emotional appeal and an attempt to pretend the Wilkersons are the sort of family the fight is about when it is not, why are we seeing the Wilkersons at all?
The answer is simple…. they’ve nothing else to toss at the problem.