[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9513-9514]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 MYTH: MOST INDIVIDUALS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE DON'T HAVE IT BECAUSE 
                           THEY DON'T WANT IT

  (Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut. Another health care myth--and we've heard 
it all before: opponents of health care reform claim that, of the 45 
million uninsured, many don't have health care insurance because they 
just don't want it. So no need to reform the health insurance system--
everybody who wants it already has it.

[[Page 9514]]

  So who are these people who just don't want health care insurance? 
Well, according to a 2008 Kaiser study, 68 percent of the Nation's 
uninsured were under 200 percent of the Federal poverty guidelines--or 
making under $44,000 a year for a family of four. Of those, 37 percent 
were actually living in poverty--making under $22,000 a year.
  These are families that cannot afford health insurance. For a family 
living at the poverty line, health insurance could cost them up to half 
of their income.
  Sure, there are some amongst the uninsured who simply choose to pay 
their own way. But there are many more who are employed, who are 
playing by the rules, who want health care insurance but just can't cut 
out those frivolous things like food and clothes to pay the premium.

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