American’s healthcare debate is the hot issue all around the country. Proponents of healthcare bill HR (House Resolution) 3200 base the need for government healthcare intervention on a questionable number: 47 million uninsured people. Who exactly are these people anyway, and where did President Obama and other Democrats promoting the bill, get these figures?

You can find your answer in the United States Census Bureau’s report from August 2008 issued by the Department of Commerce. Page twenty two of the report shows that from their most recent figures (2007) there are 45.7 million uninsured people in this country. (46.9 million people were reported in calendar year 2006). What is interesting is the report’s break down of its individual statistics.

Of the reported 45.7 million uninsured: 7.9 million are between the age of 18 to 24 years old, 9.1 million earn more than $75,000 a year, and 9.7 million are illegal aliens. A large segment of young Americans just don’t want health insurance. They are young, healthy, and often view healthcare as an unnecessary expense. For people who make more than $75K a year, they can afford some kind of healthcare; they just choose not to prioritize it. As for the 9.7 million uninsured illegal aliens, just what does the government not understand about the word ‘illegal’? Why should hard working American taxpayers pay for healthcare insurance of people who violate the law and do not respect our immigration laws?

Under the most conservative parameters, if you take these numbers (7.9, 9.1 and 9.7mm)and subtract them from the actual figures provided by the US Commerce Department / Census report, you arrive at a more realistic figure of 18.95 million uncovered, uninsured Americans. Bear in mind that this figure is not set in stone.  As people move from job to job, there is usually a three or four month window before their new healthcare plans go into effect.

Americans cannot understand why Democrats in Washington want to force the vast majority of us into a system they just don’t want. Millions of Americans are leery of an over-reaching federal government and want to preserve the personal relationship they already have with their family doctor. They don’t trust government bureaucrats who want to make decisions that would impact health care for themselves and their families. (Notice that these same government bureaucrats have voted to exempt themselves and their families from this national healthcare plan).  Is it any wonder that 53% of people don’t want Obama care and 60% of Americans say government health care reform will increase the federal deficit (Rasmussen)? The annual federal deficit under the new administration is already expected to top 1.8 trillion dollars!

Americans are realizing that we simply can no longer afford huge infusions of tax payer supported revenue to support healthcare aid to 19 or 47 million people (whatever figure you use). Certainly there may be ways for the government to assist these folks in addressing any extreme healthcare needs. But does this mean that 270 million of us have to replace our doctor’s advice with those of a government bureaucrat? There is nothing in the Constitution suggesting public healthcare support as a citizen “right”. Government run healthcare is nothing but fiscal insanity.

Just look at the numbers! For years, our government has lived beyond its means. This year our projected federal deficit means that each hour we will spend $205 million more in new borrowed dollars, close to five billion in borrowed dollars each day or 3.4 million dollars every minute. This is money we have to borrow or print just to maintain a budget that is over-whelmingly bloated and out of control. Continuing this trend will ultimately devalue the dollar and end in financial catastrophe.

Government run healthcare mandates are not practical or fiscally prudent. The public is finally catching on.   

James L. Lambert, a frequent contributor to ChristianMirror.net and author of Porn in America, is a licensed nationwide real-estate mortgage loan sales agent and can be contacted through his website.