Zaniya Finds Uninsured Aren't Lazy Bums

Now that that's out of the way...

With the Zaniya Project's submission of its late, incomplete homework, we can finally see what we're in for in the 2008 legislative session. Even falling short of its legislatively mandated goals, the final report offers a lot to read. The Madville Times will process and comment on it bit by bit.

The first note: the Zaniya Project finds that 9.1% of South Dakota adults are uninsured. 70% of those going without health insurance are employed, and a quarter of those folks are working two jobs ["Key Data and Findings," Zaniya Project Task Force Final Report, September 2007, p. 3].

Contrary to the belief of some critics of proposals for a single-payer, not-for-profit system, our society is not filled with freeloaders who want someone else to pay their medical bills. The majority of people who don't have health insurance are putting in an honest day's work but still can't afford it. 69% of the uninsured say cost is the major reason they don't have insurance; another 20% say it's because they're employer doesn't offer coverage.

So as we look for solutions (and we'll look at what Zaniya offers in upcoming posts), we have to keep in mind that sermons about personal responsibility won't get people access to health care. Most people are plenty responsible already; suggesting otherwise is an insult to hardworking South Dakotans. We need real policy innovations (plus some hard numbers on what it will cost) to make sure we live up to our obligation to our community to care for each other.