There's a good editorial...

...in today's Times regarding (what else?) health care reform that everyone should read. The key findings are:

A study by the Treasury Department found that almost half of all Americans below Medicare age have gone without insurance at some point over the last decade.

It found that, between 1997 and 2006, 48 percent of nonelderly Americans went without health insurance for at least one month, 41 percent lacked coverage for at least six months and 36 percent were uncovered for a year or more.

I personally know of one family that was dropped by their insurance company for about three months, appealed the decision and lost. Nothing bad happened and they are again covered but the lesson is clear: we are all vulnerable under the current system. Those with company-sponsored plans shouldn't feel too secure. Most Americans are only a pink slip away from losing their coverage and at the mercy of the private insurers if they get sick. (That's another argument for a public option; the insurers' profits are directly related to denying claims.) Reform is not just about covering those that don't have insurance; it's also about protecting those that are already covered.