About the "Uninsured"

One of my local on-line newspapers ran an Associated Press article today giving statistics about the number of Americans who were without insurance at some point during the previous two calendar years (2007 and 2008).

I had to read the article to figure out if it was talking about homeowner's insurance, renter's insurance, vehicle insurance, flood insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, flight insurance, legal insurance or what. Turns out they meant health insurance.

Health "insurance". It's almost a punch line these days.

Suppose you are a service provider of some kind - plumber, electrician, painter, carpenter, etc. - and the only way your "customers" can afford to pay you is if they make regular periodic payments to belong to some group with deep pockets.

Other than health care, what profession could possibly survive under such conditions?