Fewer Americans Without Health Insurance, But the Good News Ends There

The number of Americans without health insurance decreased by one million last year, down by half a percentage point from 2006, according to annual figures from the U.S. Census Bureau released today. But the good news was undercut by the Census' findings from the same report that the average household income, when adjusted for inflation, has not increased significantly since 2000. The poverty rate also held steady. Keep in mind that the Census figures are for 2007, so the effects of the recent economic downturn are not reflected here.

Health care is a major issue for Americans, even though public opinion research indicates the public has yet to come to terms with the various tradeoffs involved in reform. Cost and access are seen as the most urgent health problems today, and most agree that the system currently needs either fundamental changes or to be rebuilt entirely. But support for a universal health care plan varies based on survey question wording -- especially when paying more in taxes or premiums is mentioned. And yet two-thirds say it is the responsibility of the federal government to guarantee health insurance for all Americans.

It's also worth mentioning the perception gap between experts and the public as to what might be driving these costs. Whereas experts consistently cite new medical technologies and treatments and a longer life expectancy as the biggest factors of rising costs, the public names company profits, malpractice suits and fraud and waste in the system.