Divide between red and blue states over healthcare deepens.

[Laelth]

Source: Los Angeles Times

States that have aggressively put the Affordable Care Act into practice have cut the number of uninsured residents sharply -- in some cases in half or better -- while those that balked have improved little if at all, according to new data released Tuesday.

The state-by-state numbers, from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, reinforce one of the major impacts of Obamacare so far: Political debate has widened the healthcare gap between red and blue states.

All 10 states with the largest percentages of uninsured adults now have Republican governors and legislatures. The lowest percentages all are governed by Democrats, with the exception of Pennsylvania.

The 10 states with the biggest improvement in insurance coverage all took two major steps to implement the healthcare law -- they expanded Medicaid coverage, as the law allows, and they either set up their own online marketplace to let residents buy insurance or they entered into a partnership with the federal government to create one.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-obamacare-states-20140805-story.html

---

Let us hope this message spreads far and wide, especially in red areas of the country. The ACA has provided insurance to millions who lacked it. Citizens of states with Democratic leadership are enjoying the benefits of the law. Citizens of states under Republican leadership, for the most part, are lagging behind in insurance coverage (but still footing the tax bill).

The ACA isn't perfect, but it is improving the lives of a lot of people in states where the leadership isn't obstructing it. I hope a lot of voters consider this fact in November.

-Laelth

[heaven05]

1. well

the fact is those voters in the red states not able to take advantage of ACA only have themselves and their adherence to a twisted, dangerous and poisonous ideology, to blame. Nothing else. I feel sorry for the children that are suffering because of their caregivers stupidity, ONLY.

[area51]

14. It's interesting

how many people on this board like to forget that there are decent people who live in red states.

[heaven05]

15. if you say so

[sinkingfeeling]

2. But it won't. I live in Arkansas where there is ONE newspaper, run by a

RW 1% group. They won't print this story and the poor population here thinks Obama is a devil and Obamacare is a fate worse than death.

[underpants]

3. Red states have been convinced to get less pay and more pollution

Simple as that. They will buy anything so long as it keeps people not like them down or out.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "with the exception of Pennsylvania."

Since PA has the 2nd oldest population (percentage-wise, behind FL), am wondering if some of that was due to more Medicare enrollment and a large federal retiree population (although the currently-employed federal population has dropped precipitously over the past 20 years as big bases and regional centers were closed)...

[happyslug]

5. And prior ACA, Western Pa had the highest rate of INSURED people, damn unions.

I meant the "Dame Unions" as a sarcastic joke, for do to massive Union membership (and a history of Unionization) Western Pennsylvania had a long history if Medical Insurance provided by employers BEFORE the adoption of ACA. Even employers who did NOT want a union, learned they had to give medical Coverage to Compete with Unionized firms (And to give their employees one less thing to support a Union for).

The United Mine Workers were STRONG in Western Pennsylvania, covering most of Rural Western PA south if I-80 and West of Allegheny Mountain. The Pennsylvania Railroad (and its successors, PennCentral, Conrail and now Norfolk and Southern) were unionized and thus had medical coverage, and extended the high percentage of Medical coverage to the Middle of the State (Altoona to Lewisburg).

Side note: The term "Central Pennsylvania" is used to describe that part of the state west of the four bedroom counties of Philadelphia to the State Capital in Harrisburg but south of Blue Mountain. This terminology goes back to Colonial times, when the real border of Pennsylvania was Blue Mountain, the first ridge of the Appalachians Mountains as you head West (Blue Mountain and the rest of the Appalachians Mountains do a curve upon entering Pennsylvania, starting at about the 1/3rd mark on the Southern Border with Maryland, and then turning almost 90 degrees to end on the Delaware River about halfway up the river). Thus the 2/3rds of the State, as measured on its southern border, is West of Blue Mountain (i.e. Harrisburg) but that is NOT Central Pennsylvania.

Thus Western Pennsylvania had the highest rate of Medical Insurance do to being Union Heavy BEFORE the ACA was adopted. Thus Pennsylvania as a whole had one of the highest rate in Insurance Coverage in the Country BEFORE the ACA was adopted. Thus Pennsylvania started from a high base and the fact we have a GOP Governor and legislature have NOT affected that high starting point. Pennsylvania has NOT expanded like other states, but when you are in an extensive lead in the first place, it is hard to far to far behind.

Thus thanks should go to the United Mine Workers (UMW) and the United Steel Workers (USW) for the high rate if Medical Insurance in Western Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania as a whole.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Here in Philly, we have a HUGE union presence

since the very first centralized one here in 1827, thanks mostly to the Carpenter's guild/union (whose guild built and owned the famous "Carpenter's Hall" 2 blocks from that marker). Current Carpenters union members have been picketing the PA Convention Center.



Philly is definitely a union town - IBEW, SEIU, Pipe-fitters/Ironworkers, Carpenters, Roofers, ILGWU (now UNITE, but their building still has the old name), AFT, PFT, AFGE, NTEU, AFSCME, etc., etc.

[happyslug]

7. Philly always had a lower rate of Medical Coverage then Pittsburgh

It is one of the many differences between the two cities and regions. Now Philadelphia was NOT an anti-Union area as is much of the South, but it is a step below Pittsburgh in unionization AND medical Insurance Coverage (and just a small step, I do NOT want to make a to big a deal of the difference, we are talking a 92% Medical Insurance coverage for Pittsburgh compared to an about 86% coverage for Philadelphia County). In 2009, Pittsburgh Metro area was the second highest percentage of Medical Coverage, second only to Boston Metro Area:

http://www.post-gazette.com/nation/2009/09/22/Metro-area-ranks-2nd-in-health-insurance/stories/200909220234

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/data/incpovhlth/2012/tables.html

At present Pennsylvania has over a 90% insurance Coverage rate:

http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk

While Pennsylvania insurance coverage Rate is 90% Philadelphia is only 86%:

http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_1YR_DP03&prodType=table

Allegheny County (Which Includes the City of Pittsburgh) insurance Coverage rate is at 92%:

http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_1YR_DP03&prodType=table

As to the Bedroom Counties Montgomery County insurance rate is 93.4% and Chester County has 92,1%:

http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_DP03&prodType=table

http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-245.pdf

Map showing un-insurance rates nationwide:

http://www.census.gov/did/www/sahie/data/visualization/healthins/index.html?reload

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Here's the difference

Population of Pittsburgh = 305,702 (2010)
Population of Philadelphia = 1,526,000 (2010)

Pittsburgh is a cool city (have been there a bunch of times), but it is still an itty bitty city that managed to successfully survive the massive loss of the steel industry by what? Bringing in the medical industry (various hospital systems doing clinical trials).

As you know, Philadelphia is the largest county in Pennsylvania and using your figure of "86%" coverage would still = 1,312,360 covered (based on the 2010 Census figures), which easily outstrips Allegheny County's (92% of 1,223,348 = 1,125,480).

It's sortof silly to do the "Westside vs Eastside" thing but apparently that is what you prefer to do. The better point might be that PA really isn't a "red state" in the modern Reagan sense (despite the current configuration of the state government) because the population of most of the so-called "red" counties is sparse, offset by a few highly populated blue areas that every 4 years since 1988, threw the whole state into the blue column.

[happyslug]

11. Pittsburgh's merger with its county was item veto around 1900...

And it is one of the reasons I hate item vetoes, it permits Governors to take out the compromises he made to get a law passed by item vetoing what he agreed to but then reneged on.

As to Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia, Philadelphia is a much larger population base. We still have some farms in Allegheny County, Elizabeth Township, but we still have active farms. Pittsburgh itself had an active Farm till the 1960s (the City kept its horses on that farm). That farm was condemned for a "Mega High School" project in the 1960s, the project was later cancelled.

Knowing the population difference is why I added Chester and Montgomery Counties, to show while 86% is low, the bedroom counties match or just exceed Pittsburgh's Allegheny county numbers. Western Pennsylvania had a high rate of insurance coverage, as I pointed out the second highest to Boston in the US.

And let me point out 86% is NOT a bad number, we have counties in this country (Mostly down south) that do NOT get up to 50%.

I only brought up Pittsburgh high rate to show Pennsylvania had a high rate of Insurance BEFORE ACA, thus the refusal of the GOP to adopt ACA for Pennsylvania did NOT have that much affect for we had a high rate to begin with.

Now to comparisons, because the proposed merger of the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County was item vetoed around 1900, we in the west have TWO different governments as oppose to Philadelphia's one. Thus the better comparison should be Allegheny County vs Philadelphia County, NOT the City of Pittsburgh vs the City of Philadelphia.

Allegheny County population is 1,231,527. just short of Philadelphia County's population of 1,526,000, but that comparison is unfair, for much of the population of Allegheny is the same population as in the bedroom Counties of Philadelphia, thus we should look at metro districts:

Pittsburgh Metro Area has a population of 2,359,746 (22nd in the country) while Philadelphia MSA is #6 at 5,992,414.

In the slightly wider Primary Statistic Area, Pittsburgh is #24 at 2,450,281, while Philadelphia is #8 at 6,562,287

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_and_metropolitan_areas_of_the_United_States

Thus Philadelphia "Area" is either 2-3 times the population as the Pittsburgh "Area". City to City, County to County comparison is unfair to both, the best is metro. Let remember that the Philadelphia "Area" is NOT five times the population as the Pittsburgh "Area" as would be the case if we look at city population, but the Pittsburgh "Area" is NOT almost as large as the Philadelphia "Area", if we look at Allegheny County's and Philadelphia County's population.

On the other hand the Philadelphia "Area" is clearly two to three times the population of the Pittsburgh "Area". Thus when we compare the two cities, counties and metro areas we have to keep in mind the size differences.

When I used Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties was to show a significant increase in insurance in the West as opposed to the East. While significant, 86% is nothing to be ashamed given the situation in the US when we have areas with much lower rates of Heath Insurance coverage.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. You just reiterated what I wrote

But you can't selectively isolate "Philadelphia" as "the east" in your argument, while although tossing in 2 nearby counties, you leave out 2 other rim counties - Bucks County with 93% coverage and Delaware county with 91%, and still claim that "the west has more than the east". That just doesn't hold up as an argument.

There is a large population difference between the 2 sides of the state and that means a direct comparison based on "percent covered" does not tell the entire story. And because of that large population difference, there is naturally more variation in circumstances within the larger population areas - notably with respect to the types of jobs. Meaning you will have higher numbers of people concentrated in jobs that are "part time" (with no health coverage) vs those who are in "full-time" jobs, plus you will often have higher numbers of unemployed and/or chronically homeless (the latter, who are not enrolled in Medicaid as they are out in the streets).

[lark]

8. I want to see Crist use this informatin in his ads against Scott!!

I live in redneck No. FL., and have seen very few pro-Crist ads, but TONS of sleazy lying Scott ads. Crist is losing unless he starts fighting back harder and this divergence creates a great advertising opportunity for him.

[Laelth]

9. As do I.

Every Democrat running for office in Republican-controlled states should use this data, imo.

-Laelth

[quadrature]

12. cancelled insurance? I know several likely voters in Nov.

a result of ACA was that several people I know
had to find new insurance.

worry not.
these people would crawl over broken glass
if they had to, on their way to the polls
this November.

[wordpix]

16. as someone with a pre-existing condition on O-care, all I can say is

Thank you, Democrats and Pres. Obama!

I would have cancer and no insurance if it weren't for you.