title: Simple truths about America's uninsured.
abstract: Nurses deal with the fallout of a nation with more than 46 million uninsured. Affecting the patients and families they care for, the hospitals and clinics they work in and manage, and the communities they serve, nurses have a credible standing from which to debunk any myths about who the uninsured are, why they are uninsured, and the difference that health insurance makes in their health and well-being. This article on the uninsured and health insurance coverage among low-income Americans outlines key facts about the uninsured and the primary cause of the problem--the affordability of health insurance.
authors.affiliation: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Washington, DC, USA. choffman@kff.org
authors.forename: Catherine B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000458:organization & administration; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009026:Mortality; D024802:Nurse's Role; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017664:Uncompensated Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology