Is Your Senator Killing You?

 

We are still in a government shutdown and we are still covering the number one cause of this impasse – the extension of the Expanded Tax Credits for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  The Republicans intentionally left these important middle class benefits out of their Big Beautiful Bill.  This is the only chance the Democrats have to salvage our health insurance, the way most Americans access and pay for health care. 

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) published a list of the ten states that would see the highest family premium increases if the Republicans refuse to extend these tax credits.  The names of the states, and their Senators, always appear on lists like this. 

     State                                                 Percent of Increase

1.   West Virginia                                 387%

                Senators – Shelly Moore Capito (R) and Jim Justice (R)

2.   Wyoming                                       382%

               Senators – John Barrasso (R) and Cynthia Lummis (R)

3.   Alaska                                            346%

               Senators – Lisa Murkowski (R) and Dan Sullivan (R)

4.   Tennessee                                      320%

               Senators – Marsha Blackburn (R) and Tom Cotton (R)

5.   Mississippi                                     314%

               Senators – Roger Wicker (R) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)

6.   Texas                                              289%

               Senators – John Cornyn (R) and Ted Cruz (R)

7.   South Carolina                              285%

               Senators – Lyndsay Graham (R) and Tim Scott(R)

8.   Alabama                                        284%

               Senators – Tommy Tuberville (R) and Katie Britt (R)

9.   South Dakota                                235%

               Senators – John Thune (R) and Mike Rounds (R)

10.  North Dakota                               234%

               Senators – John Hoeven (R) and Kevin Cramer (R)

As this blog has noted, many of the above named states will have the highest percentage of uninsured and their residents have the lowest life expectancy. 

Per the United States Census Bureau, the state with the highest number of uninsured is Texas.  But you knew that.  Per the last available data, 2022, 18% of Texans, nearly one in 5, don’t have health insurance coverage.  That is almost 5 million people.   In case you’ve forgotten, Texas is represented in the US Senate by Republicans John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. 

The World Population Review lists the life expectancy for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  According to their website, these are the factors that will affect life expectancy: 

“In general, life expectancy is based on two major factors: genetics and lifestyle choices. These include—but are not limited to—gender, access to quality health care, hygiene, obesity, diet and nutrition, exercise, and crime rates. Overall, the highest life expectancies appear in the healthiest states. Additionally, women tend to live longer than men. In 2021, American men could expect to live 73.5 years on average, while American women could expect to live 79.3 years—a 5.8-year gap.”

The gap between men and women is, on average, 5.8 years.  But the gap between Hawaii (79.9), represented by Democrats Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, and Mississippi (70.9) is NINE FULL YEARS.  And yes, there is a pattern. 

   State                                                 Average Life Expectancy

50.  Mississippi                                    70.9

               Senators – Roger Wicker (R) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)

49.  West Virginia                                71.0

               Senators – Shelly Moore Capito (R) and Jim Justice (R)

48.  Alabama                                       72.0

               Senators – Tommy Tuberville (R) and Katie Britt (R)

47.  Louisiana                                    72.2

               Senators – Bill Cassidy (R) and John Kennedy (R)

               Also – Speaker of the House – Mike Johnson (R)

46.  Kentucky                                       72.3

               Senators – Mitch McConnell (R) and Rand Paul (R)

 

On the other end of the spectrum:

1.   Hawaii                                           79.9

               Senators – Brian Schatz (D) and Mazie Hirono

2.   Massachusetts                               79.6

               Senators – Elizabeth Warren (D) and Ed Markey (D)

3.   Connecticut                                   79.2

               Senators – Richard Blumenthal (D) and Chris Murphy (D)

4.   New Jersey                                    79.0

               Senators – Cory Booker (D) and Andy Kim (D)

5.   New York                                       79.0

               Senators – Chuck Schumer (D) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D)  

There is an obvious correlation between access to health care and life expectancy.  It may be just coincidental that states led by Democrats and represented in the Senate by Dems seem to enjoy the highest percentage of insured citizens and the highest life expectancy.  Could be.  Take a look at the charts and tell me if you see a pattern.  Ohio is now at 12^th from the bottom in life expectancy.  We could crack the bottom 10 soon. 

So here is a question to ponder while we wait to see if the Republicans will relent and extend the expanded tax credits, is your Senator killing you?  It is nothing personal.  Trust me.  Senator Jon Husted doesn’t know your name and, more importantly, he really doesn’t care. It’s not his job to care.  Your access to health care may depend on how the votes go in the next week. 

Or you could move to Hawaii.

Dave

Health Insurance Issues With Dave

Picture – They’re Killing The Grass, Too – David L Cunix