Can we please get the number right?

From CNS News, "Once Again Obama Misstates Number of Uninsured Americans — This Time in a New York Times Op-Ed". Yes, but misstates equals overstates, naturally.

In fact, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 35.920 million uninsured U.S. citizens and 9.737 million uninsured foreign nationals residing in the United States. Counting the uninsured foreign nationals, that makes a total of 45.657 million—or “nearly 46 million”-- uninsured people in the United States.

But you cannot say, as President Obama has, that there are “nearly 46 million Americans who don’t have health insurance coverage” or that “46 million of our fellow citizens have no coverage” unless you count 9.737 million foreign nationals as “Americans” and “fellow citizens.”

The breakdown of the almost 36 million who actually are American citizens is interesting as well. I heard that a large number of these people are eligible for Medicaid and most of the rest are people who have decided not to carry health coverage for whatever reason--cost most likely. So why not concentrate on these folks? Allow a wider diversity of low-cost plans for those who opt-out due to cost, and come up with some kind of auto-enrollment for those eligible for Medicaid? Because Obama wants to blow the current system up. That's the only sensible answer.