ultimately i think that the problem of the under-insured, and not the uninsured, is what will eventually get us universal health care in this country. the average underinsured is further up the socio-economic scale than the average uninsured. which means that they're more likely to vote and people will generally pay more attention to them even though the uninsured are worse off. underinsured people can pop up almost anywhere. maybe they're even people we know.
being underinsured also has an element of cruelty to it that lends itself to outrage. the underinsured, after all, have insurance. they often think they're covered. that is, until the rug is suddenly pulled out from underneath them just when they need it most.
stories of the underinsured are especially scary. when you hear them, it's hard not to wonder if you're not also underinsured. you can't know if your insurance plan covers all your medical needs until you have those needs. and we all are at risk for a major health catastrophe at any time, how do you really know that you'll be covered if that happens? that sense of insecurity undermines the peace of minds that paying health insurance premiums is supposed to bring. but if insurance companies can't deliver that, why the hell are we and/or our employer paying them every month?
