47 million people are uninsured in America. Nearly 1.7 million in Illinois. Of these approxi mately 700,000 are living in the metro Chicago area. 25 percent are Afro-Americans; 31 percent are hispanics . The count for Asians is estimated to be not much less. Of the people that are uninsured and living in the suburbs nearly 50 percent have a average annual income of $50,000 or more. These individuals do not usually qualify for any insurance programs offered by the government and have no coverage from employment as they are either self employed and cannot afford the cost or are working in places where such benefits are not provided.

    These individuals remain under the radar of medical care till they fall sick or are injured in an accident. At that point they confront an expensive health care system at its most expensive point of contact, namely the ER, the OR and the ICU at a hospital. The average hospital costs are approximately $1000-$2000 per day in a regular room and $2000-$5000 per day in the ICU. A ten day stay in this scenario can crank up a bill of $50,000-$100,000 when the costs of drugs, labs and x-rays are added up . Once treatment is completed the patient is sent out with very little assurance or arrangement for future heath care. No wonder non-covered health care costs are the single most frequent reason for bankruptcy in Illinois. Clearly the plight of the uninsured demands our attention.