The United States—whether you agree with it or not—remains one of that last industrialized nations that neither acknowledge health care as a universal right or offer some form of universal coverage for its citizens.

The latest numbers, from the Centers for Disease Control, show 48.2 million people under 65 without health insurance, a little more than 18 percent of the population. The U.S. Census Bureau, which reports on this group annually, pegged  this number at closer to 51 million in its last tally. And then there are those who count more than the “currently uninsured,” as in anyone who's been uninsured at any point during a multi-year period. FamiliesUSA, for example, using that criteria, put that number at 86.7 million in its last count.

But these numbers are subject to scrutiny and even more debate.

The Census Bureau hedges its numbers by footnoting that roughly 8 million of those uninsured are on Medicaid. Additionally, by last count, the Census people point out that another 10 million or so aren't citizens at all. And to take it another step further, another 11 million are in household with annual incomes of more than $75,000. And never mind those who simply choose not be insured.

Even with a number half the size of the original, for the sake of argument, we're looking at a major economic superpower with roughly 24 million of its populace without health insurance—10 percent, give or take.

Quibbles over the actual number aside, the uninsured in this country remain a constant economic drain, a huge health care cost driver and a charged political football. Their existence, and various legislative attempts to deal with them, continue to polarize the populace and drive the dialogue of health care coverage in this country.