...passed in 1935, certain job categories such as agricultural labor and domestic service were exempted. This was part of a compromise to obtain the support of Southern Democrats. As a result, nearly two-thirds of all African Americans (70-80% in some areas of the South) were not originally covered by the act.
Over the years, the old Southern Democrats evolved into Republicans and are now the biggest opponents of health care reform, particularly the public option.
According to Gallup, about one in six U.S. adults are without health insurance. The latest official estimate of health care coverage from the U.S. Census Bureau is for 2007, and reveals that 15.3% of all Americans (including children) are without insurance. This translates into the oft-cited figure of 46 million Americans without insurance.
At 41.5%, Hispanic Americans are, by a significant margin, the demographic segment of the adult population most likely to be uninsured. Non-Hispanic black Americans are also significantly more likely than non-Hispanic white Americans to be uninsured, 19.9% vs. 11.6%.
Again, the base of the Republican Party is increasingly white, rural, Southern, Christian, and male. Am I reading too much into this, or is there a disturbing parallel here?
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