Uninsured More Likely To Die Prematurely Than Those With Health Coverage, Study Says
As expected, the Institute of Medicine on May 21 released a report demonstrating that the lack of health insurance leads to "delayed diagnoses, life-threatening complications" and as many as 18,000 "premature" deaths annually, the Washington Post reports. The report, a "detailed analysis" of 130 studies focusing on the uninsured, is the first comprehensive study of the "medical consequences" of not having health insurance. Among the report's findings:
- A lack of insurance leads each year to 360 to 600 "premature" breast cancer deaths, 1,200 to 1,400 deaths among HIV-positive adults and 1,400 premature deaths due to undertreated hypertension (Connolly, Washington Post, 5/22).
- Uninsured people with breast or colon cancer have a 50% higher risk of death than people with insurance.
- Trauma victims without health insurance are less likely to be admitted to a hospital or receive the "full range of needed services" and are 37% more likely to die from their injuries.
- Approximately 25% of uninsured people with diabetes went a year or more without receiving a checkup from a physician (Sternberg, USA Today, 5/22).
