Dems Downplay Report Showing Decline in Number of Uninsured

Democrats attending the party’s national convention in Denver downplayed the latest U.S. Census figures showing the number of people without health insurance dropped last year for the first time since the Bush administration took office, saying the gains are dwarfed by the number of uninsured remaining. The U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday that the number of people lacking insurance dropped by more than 1 million in 2007 — from 47 to 45.7 million. “It’s down a million. I think it’s great for those million who got it, but I think it’s meaningless in the sense there’s still 46 million people who don’t have any health insurance in this country,” said Terry McAuliffe, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Universal health care is a central theme in the Democrats’ platform, with Sen. Ted Kennedy, a longtime advocate, telling delegates Monday night at the Pepsi Center that he is resting his hopes for such a program on ... (link)