![\"emergency\"](\"http:\/\/www.blisstree.com\/files\/50\/2006\/09\/emergency-room.jpg\")
The day after President Obama delivered a speech on health care reform to a joint session of Congress, new data was released showing an increase in the uninsured. According to Census Bureau statistics, the number of Americans without access to health insurance increased to 46.3 million in 2008. Prior to the new figures, Obama addressed revamping the nation\u2019s health care system through a myriad of mechanisms including a public option, a tax on insurers, and mandates for individual. In light of the increasing number of Americans without health insurance, Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for a single-payer system, remains critical of the President\u2019s plans. Drawing attention to the notion of requiring individuals to purchase private health plans, PNHP cites the example of Massachusetts. The latest statistics available on the state, which passed a similar compulsory reform in 2006, show a slight increase in the number of uninsured persons in 2008. As the poverty rate in the United States recently reached an 11 year high exacerbated by the current recession, the current number of Americans without health insurance is probably much higher than the Census Bureau data reflects.<\/p>\n