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Robert J. Blendon, ScD

JAMA. 1988;260(21):3176-3177.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

WITH THE number of uninsured persons in our society growing by 25% since 1980, presidential candidates, congress-men, and state legislators are once again confronting the plight of those without insurance gaining access to adequate medical care.¹ In a recent study supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, those who were uninsured reported fewer physician visits and hospitalizations than insured persons, despite suffering from higher rates of ill health. In addition, an estimated 1 million individuals reported that they actually tried to obtain needed care, but did not receive it for economic reasons.² On the face of it, this should be an issue where the popular mandate leads to prompt remedies. Opinion polls repeatedly attest to the public belief that everyone has a right to adequate health care (82% of those responding to the question)^3,4 and that the federal government has the responsibility for guaranteeing it (76%).⁵ . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to the Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard University School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115 (Dr Blendon).

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