The National Journal has a new story by Ronald Brownstein titled The New Geography Of Health Care that summarizes the results of the Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey. In it, they break down the percentage of the uninsured in each Congressional District in the country, pair it with the 2008 presidential results in those districts, and try to come to some conclusions based on those factors. It's an interesting read.
I did not realize that the national average of uninsured was 15 percent, or that the rural districts in Illinois had a lower rate of uninsured than the urban districts. Or, quite frankly, that John McCain won three Congressional Districts here in Illinois. Some of the more interesting bits of the National Journal piece:
* Among Democrats, 43 percent (111 of 257) represent districts in which the share of the uninsured exceeds the national average.
* Fully 47 percent of House Republicans (84 of 178) represent districts where the proportion of the uninsured exceeds that average.
* Among Democrats, the party leadership's challenge revolves largely around the 49 members representing districts carried last year by McCain. Those McCain-district Democrats cast a majority of the dissenting votes in the party when the House narrowly passed climate-change legislation in June, and many are balking again at supporting health care reform. Of the 11 Democrats who have already voted against the various reform bills in committee, six represented districts that McCain carried last year.
* senior Democratic vote-counters now believe about half of those 21 McCain-district Democrats with the most uninsured are likely to oppose the final legislation. Party vote-counters expect opposition from, among others, Rep. Dan Boren, whose Oklahoma district ranks highest for the uninsured among the McCain Democrats at just below 25 percent, as well as Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, Harry Teague of New Mexico, Gene Taylor of Mississippi, Jim Marshall of Georgia, and Mike Ross of Arkansas, all of whom represent districts where about one-fifth or more of the population lacks insurance.
* Democratic vote-counters believe another eight of the 21 McCain Democrats in the most heavily uninsured districts are likely to vote for the bill -- including John Salazar of Colorado, Chet Edwards of Texas, and Nick Rahall of West Virginia -- with the remaining three uncertain.
