Lack of Health Insurance Kills 45,000 a Year

Harvard Study Finds 40 Percent Greater Risk of Death for Uninsured

Sep 18, 2009 Deborah Aldridge

Not having health insurance in the United States can literally be a death sentence. Those without insurance often do not seek much needed care that could save them.

While the health care debate rages in the United States congress, people are dying. According to a recent study, 45,000 people die every year in the United States because they do not seek care due to lack of health insurance. Most could have been saved, had they had proper treatment. Some treatments would be as simple as an inexpensive monthly prescription.

Harvard Study Uncovers Alarming Statistics

In Madison Park's article for CNN Health, he references a Harvard study which finds that the uninsured die at a drastically higher rate than the insured. The study was based on examination of over 9,000 government surveys conducted from 1986 through 1994 on people ranging in age from 17 to 64.

Using these surveys, the Harvard researchers reached the conclusion that being uninsured gives one a 40% higher death risk than those with private health insurance. This risk is due to the inability of the uninsured to obtain needed medical care.

After extrapolating data from the 2005 census, the researchers calculations found 44,789 deaths associated with lack of health insurance.

The Number of Uninsured Americans is Staggering

Not surprisingly, The National Center for Policy Analysis, a proponent of free market health care reform, says the Harvard findings are faulty, however, they do recognize a crisis of uninsured in the U.S.

Over 1.6 million have joined the ranks of the uninsured in the last two years, bringing the number up to 46.3 million, or 15.4 percent. Young adults are those who are most likely to be uninsured.

The Unacceptable Cost of Medical Care and Insurance

With medical costs still skyrocketing, an uninsured person can find themselves in serious debt for a short visit to the emergency room. Bills in excess of $20,000 are not unusual after doctors and other charges are added. A lengthy hospital stay can devastate a family financially. A common saying is that most Americans are only one accident or illness away from bankruptcy.

Employer sponsored insurance is under siege, and many employers are finding it necessary to drop their employee coverage. Employers now pay $13,000 on average for insurance coverage for a family of four, and the employee picks up roughly 30% of that cost. In The National Coalition of Health Care's fact sheet on Health Insurance costs, they cite estimates by the Congressional Budget Office that employer-based insurance costs could reach $25,000 a year by 2018.

What is the Solution to the Health Care Crisis?

Tort reform should be a part of any health care solution. Doctors order millions of unnecessary tests every year to avoid being sued for malpractice. Malpractice insurance is skyrocketing due to petty lawsuits. Those costs are inevitably passed on to the health care consumer.

The numbers are sobering. 45,000 needless deaths a year is not acceptable in a country with the most advanced medical care in the free world.

No one disagrees with the fact that something must be done to alleviate this situation. The method for doing so is the sticking point. Whatever the solution, the United States cannot afford to be the only industrialized country in the world that does not provide health care in some form for its citizens.

The copyright of the article Lack of Health Insurance Kills 45,000 a Year in Insurance is owned by Deborah Aldridge. Permission to republish Lack of Health Insurance Kills 45,000 a Year in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Death is Not an Option

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 5+3?

Comments

Sep 18, 2009 2:37 PM

Roxanne Blanford :

Hopefully, the people of the US will find a way to resolve this issue about the uninsured based on the facts and a realization that something essential and fair must be done. This was a good read! Thank you.

Sep 19, 2009 8:59 AM

Deborah Aldridge :

To Eric, who flooded me with 7 copies of the same hateful comment, when you learn to conduct a civil discussion, I will be glad to post your comments. Until then, keep your rhetoric to yourself.

Sep 21, 2009 9:45 AM

Guest :

“President Obama’s speech last week really moved me. Despite what my colleagues think of me. If what he says is what will EXACTLY happen, how can I not hope and work towards that cause”? Mike Oliphant runs a small Utah health insurance website www.benefitsmanager.net/SelectHealth.html and www.dentalinsuranceutah.net whom deals with hundreds of people on a day to day struggle to be approved for health insurance. “I get hopeful that I can finally tell people they can qualify for coverage REGARDLESS of their pre-existing medical condition”. Mike’s concern is that Obama’s people won’t deliver what he urges on areas within his speech. “I really have been moved by this guy and wish we could just talk so he could understand the frustration of a health insurance agent. I have been involved on a political level within the state of Utah and their struggle for health care reform. I have seen and regrettably been part of politics at work. I have learned lessons through baptism of fire with politics. For instance, I struggled against House Speaker Clark and H.B. 188 because that was what I was urged to do from our industry (that was all I knew). But after awhile and countless meetings with state and private carriers in Utah, I began asking myself if I was doing the right thing. I realized over time that House Speaker Clark really means what he says and is hard nose about getting reform done in Utah. I got that there wasn’t any behind the scene conspiracy scheme or personal objective of Mr. Clark. His bill makes allot of positive changes in the “health insurance reform” world of Utah. He claims that reform just doesn’t stop there, it must continue through “health care reform”. You see, there is a major difference between the two reforms. Clark “gets it” but I really worry that Obama’s administration doesn’t because if you have noticed the subtle language change of dropping “health care reform” and going to “health insurance reform”. See more about what Utah has accomplished here which utilizes private carrier involvement with true reform. If you can believe it, they reached it with an objective of $500,000. Perhaps the feds should take a look at Utah and House Speakers Clark’s bill 188. www.prweb.com/releases/utah_health_insurance/health_care_reform/prweb261454 4.htm. Now I find myself on the “other side” of the fence furthering Utah’s cause. Let’s hope we don’t all have a mental breakdown nationally and just take a honest look at the proposals.

3 Comments