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NARR: When Tym Moss was healthy, he never though of health insurance as a necessity.
AX: Being an entrepreneur, health insurance has kind of been a luxury. That's how I viewed it. If I can afford it, I'll get it then. But I've got to cover this expense and that expense and this one and that one.
NARR: But Moss' business fell on hard times, and he could no longer afford to pay for health insurance. His health deteriorated.
AX: Because I knew that I didn't have any health insurance and I could not go to a doctor. And I didn't want to go to the hospital simply because of bills, so I held off as long as I could. I ended up vomiting blood.
NARR: When he finally was able to get help, the stress of not having insurance only worsened his condition.
AK: There were times, on the subway, where I just felt totally hopeless. There was, cause, I didn't have any medical insurance. I was getting bills constantly from the hospitals for like $70,000. And which added more stress, and it was just the most horrible period in my life. It truly truly was.
NARR: Healthcare costs are at an all time high, and insurance is too expensive for the poor, especially low-income workers and their families. The President proposes a tax deduction that would help the uninsured to buy insurance on their own. Advocates of the Bush proposal say that the tax deduction makes the costs of health insurance more transparent and will put money in the pockets of those who do not receive health insurance from their employers. But even the Bush administration acknowledges that this plan will help only a fraction of the 45 million uninsured in America. Moreover, some observers say Bush's tax plan will not help those who need health insurance the most. In New York, for instance, two-thirds of the city's uninsured are low-income workers and their families.
ACT: Linda Blumberg: The people in New York who are uninsured tend to be low-income and not have much of a tax liability.
NARR: Linda Blumberg is with the Urban Institute, a liberal think tank in Washington DC. She points out that many of the city's uninsured don't pay income taxes in the first place.
ACT: Linda Blumberg: So this is not a policy that is going to have a big impact on reducing the number of uninsured.
NARR: Advocates for the uninsured aren't the only ones who are concerned about the Bush plan. Some employers say the health coverage they now provide to employees may be in jeopardy.
ACT: Neil Trautwein: It's bad now, when we're operating on a one to two percent profit margin and its tough now for us to provide benefits, but if costs spike as a result of flight from employer plans then I think that you would see a lot of retailers be forced to back away from coverage.
NARR: Neil Trautwein [TROUGHT-wine] is a healthcare lobbyist for the National Retail Federation, which represents the retail industry…one of America's largest employers of low-income workers. Trautwein says the retail industry already faces a number of obstacles in its effort to insure employees.
ACT: Trautwein: We have to stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we have to employ a loot of part-time people, we've got folks who work multiple jobs, it's just a hard workforce to cover.
NARR: The Democrats in Congress have vowed to fight Bush's proposal. For the uninsured, relief will most likely come not from the federal government, but from the states. California and Massachusetts are developing programs to provide healthcare for all…and in New York; healthcare reform is at the top of Governor Eliot Spitzer's agenda. For Columbia Radio News, this is Irene Jay Liu.