Nov. 22 show on Michigan Radio to address lack of health insurance

Michigan Radio will air a special live call-in show at 2 p.m. today (Nov. 22) discussing how the quality of health care for all Americans is affected by the millions who lack health insurance.

Todd Mundt, host of "Morning Edition" on Michigan Radio, will moderate as guests President Mary Sue Coleman and Catherine McLaughlin, director of the Economic Research Initiative on the Uninsured at U-M, discuss some of the issues stemming from the lack of universal health coverage for Americans.

Among these are health, economic and social issues, all related to the fact that some 16 percent of Americans do not have health insurance, according to one government estimate.

Coleman—who co-chaired the Institute of Medicine's Committee on the Consequences of Uninsurance from 2000 through this year—has worked to raise awareness of the issue in a variety of ways. With the committee, she has published six reports during the last three years documenting the many facets of the uninsured Americans issue.

"Without insurance, easily treatable conditions—everything from diabetes to asthma—go undiagnosed and untreated," Coleman says. "The capacity of clinics and community health centers to serve their clientele, including those with coverage, is strained by large numbers of uninsured patients. Uninsurance is a problem that hurts both individuals and society as a whole."

McLaughlin, also professor of health management and policy, says one of the topics to consider in this discussion is the over-simplification of the issue.

"Many of us have become used to thinking of the uninsured in terms of a single number—45 million Americans," McLaughlin says. "That masks the complexity of the real problem—that some people are uninsured long term while others have short spells of uninsurance throughout the year. More than 60 million Americans experienced some period of uninsurance last year."

The show's live call-in format will allow listeners from across the state to comment on how the current number of uninsured Americans affects them personally, as well as its overall effects on society. The show also will explore ideas on how to reduce the number of uninsured Americans.

For more information, visit http://michiganradio.org/ or call (734) 764-9210.

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