January 14, 2004: Academy of Sciences Calls for Universal Health Care

The National Academy of Sciences issues a report calling for universal health insurance coverage by 2010. “It is time for our nation to extend coverage to everyone,” the report says. “Universal insurance coverage is an important and achievable goal for the country.” The report was drafted by a panel of 15 experts and is the product of three years of work.
Sampling of report's conclusions -
People without insurance receive about half the medical care of those who have it. Consequently, they are on average sicker and tend to die sooner.
Roughly 18,000 people die each year because they do not have insurance.
In 2001, only half of uninsured children in the US visited a physician during 2001, compared with three-quarters of privately insured children.
In 2001, taxpayers spent roughly $30 billion in unreimbursed medical care for uninsured Americans.
The poorer health and premature deaths of uninsured people cost taxpayers between $65 billion to $130 billion a year.
Reaction in US government - Republican Senate majority leader Bill Frist of Tennessee—whose family owns HCA Inc., the largest for-profit hospital chain in the US—expresses concern that “the report may not focus enough on the reasons why health care costs continue to rise and how to pay for any reform.” Democratic Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota supports the call. “It’s doable,” he says. “It’s essential. This is, I believe, the single most important domestic issue facing our country.” Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of health and human services, tells reporters the proposal is “not realistic.” [Institute of Medicine, 2004; National Academies, 1/14/2004; New York Times, 1/15/2004]