Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 22, 1994                   TAG: 9410250013
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SICK FEELING

Remember that as you ponder the latest report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which points out that the number of Americans without health insurance rose from 31 million in 1987, or 12.9 percent of the population, to 39.7 million by 1993, 15.3 percent.

During the same six years, 11 million people had the dubious fortune to drop into poverty, or near enough, anyway, to be eligible for Medicaid, bringing that total to 32 million people. They don't have a barrel of money - but they do have coverage.

Among those who don't have coverage are the now-familiar working poor and, more and more, the just plain working. Americans with health coverage through their employers dropped from 62 percent in 1988 to 57 percent in 1993. That decline accounts for 12 million uninsured Americans, the center estimates.

And those without coverage who are not poor increased by 5.3 million. Or, rather, who are not poor yet. A serious accident or illness could change that, unless by "not poor" the center means very, very rich.

But not to worry. Congress members who blocked health-care reform this session have assured their constituents they will eliminate this danger by forbidding insurance companies to deny policies to people with pre-existing conditions. So rather than having to pay affordable premiums while healthy, as they or their employers would under a mandatory universal-coverage plan, these non-poor can continue without insurance with blithe assurance that, if their health takes a turn for the worse, they can always get it later. It might prove right expensive, though, if many people jump into the risk pool only after they know they'll need the benefits.

It all seems mighty confusing, and you might be tempted to fret - except you've been assured that there is no health-care crisis, after all. By the same people who brought the country voodoo economics.