A common phrase used among those who want to show what is wrong with the United States is “there are 43 million people without health insurance.” This has been recently translated by Sen. John Kerry and others to “there are 43 million people in the United States without health care.'” The media likes to repeat this without any substantiation that this is correct.

The facts are, from three federally sponsored surveys:

• Anyone who has gone one day or more in a 12-month period without health insurance is counted in the 43 million.

• Nearly 50 percent regain health insurance within four months.

• Only 14.4 million are without health insurance for more than 12 months.

• Many Medicaid recipients say they don’t have health insurance because they don’t consider Medicaid as health insurance.

• Nearly 9 million illegal immigrants or aliens don’t take it because they don’t want to be traced by an insurance paper trail.

• Many are eligible for Medicaid or Children’s Health Care Insurance, but haven’t applied.

• Billions of dollars for services are given away each year by a multitude of health care organizations, such as community health centers, local health departments, free clinics, faith-based programs, emergency rooms, Veterans Administration hospitals, and private and public hospitals.

Conclusion:

• Being without health insurance is not the same as being without health care.

• 14.4 million is too many, but it is a far cry from what is said.

Rep. Thomas F. Shields, Auburn