Study Shows 45,000 Die Each Year Because Of No Insurance
Harvard Medical School researchers say one person dies every 12 minutes in the United States because of no insurance and lack of good care.
The Harvard study, funded by a federal research grant, was published in the online edition of the American Journal of Public Health. It was released by Physicians for a National Health Program, which favors government-backed or “single-payer” health insurance.
An similar study in 1993 found those without insurance had a 25 percent greater risk of death, according to the Harvard group. The Institute of Medicine later used that data in its 2002 estimate showing about 18,000 people a year died because they lacked coverage.
Part of the increased risk now is due to the growing ranks of the uninsured, [study co-author Dr. David] Himmelstein said. Roughly 46.3 million people in the United States lacked coverage in 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau reported last week, up from 45.7 million in 2007.
Another factor is that there are fewer places for the uninsured to get good care. Public hospitals and clinics are shuttering or scaling back across the country in cities like New Orleans, Detroit and others, he said.
Public hospitals and clinics are crucial for the insured as well. First it was 47 million uninsured, now it’s dropped to 30 million. There are plenty of credible sources claiming this study is biased. One of the people involved in the study, Dr. David Himmelstein testified before congress earlier this year in favor of single-payer.
http://washingtontimes.com/weblogs/back-story/2009/sep/17/junk-science-expert-sounds-alarm-insurance-study/
According to the article I referenced above “NPCA noted that a “more careful study” completed by the Congressional Budget Office found that low-income people without insurance had a 3 percent higher chance of death, but found no difference among higher income earners”
Southern Girl Lib Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Forget percentages. One PERSON is too much for me.
average james Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Uh oh SGL,
The party of ‘morality’ really gets uptight if we put a moral face on the health care issue.
Beware the coming chastisement.
blissfulconservative Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
AJ, see below.
blissfulconservative Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
How many people die yearly WITH health insurance?? According to the National Center for Health Statistics in 2008, 2,448,017 people died in the U.S. from various causes. SO, if 45,000 people die yearly without health insurance MORE people die WITH health insurance.
According to the CDC, the 2006 age-adjusted death rate is consistently down over the past few years. AND, the life expectancy of a U.S. citizen hit a record high in 2006 at 78.1 years a .3 increase from 2005.
http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2008/r080611.htm
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2006/SahrishJaved.shtml
[Reply]
blissfulconservative Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
The last time I posted my above statement it disapeared somehow?
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I posted something the other day…I could’ve sworn that I typed one thing…but I just looked at it and the post is different then what I thought I wrote…maybe I’m going crazy…or Joel is taking cues from 1984
average james Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I was wondering Bliss.
Maybe you are lost in the filter somewhere.
It’s happened to me before.
placefield Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Bliss,
I am sure the study is biased; even Alan indicates that this group is pro-single payer. Even if they are off by 50% that is still an alarming figure in my opinion. I also agree with SGL’s statement, one is too many for me.
neurobioguy Reply:
September 19th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Would you happen to know *which* CBO study was referred to by NPCA in the Washington Times article? ( A url or release date would be most appreciated; CBO documents run for so many pages and there are so many of them )
September 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
“If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
Ebenezer Scrooge, honorable “christian” conservative
blissfulconservative Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
I don’t remember Ebenezer Scrooge calling himself a Christian.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
nor is he a real life person…
average james Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
But he does fit the conservative mold rather well.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
if conservatives were cartoon characters…
flap Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
“decrease the surplus population”
Why don’t we just radically increase the number of abortions? The more babies we kill, the less healthcare we need to provide!
And while we’re at it, let’s trim the other side of the population pyramid à la Logan’s Run and start “aborting” old people over the age of 79 or so. Here’s a thought: we could even devise some sort of paper mache pseudowomb to store the obsolete old people in before we kill them so it won’t be murder…just a medical procedure!
karthiks030977 Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
“Why don’t we just radically increase the number of abortions?”
Force abortions on mothers not seeking abortions? Whatever gets you off, Flap.
“and start “aborting” old people over the age of 79 or so.”
Am sorry Flap, the BS award for the day has already been won by Blindy. Try for tomorrow’s award,please.
GuidoVanHorn Reply:
September 18th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Logan’s Run is a great movie…ok..maybe not great…but slightly amusing.
September 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Roughly 46.3 million people in the United States lacked coverage in 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau reported last week, up from 45.7 million in 2007
I am going to choose not to put much faith in studies that use numbers like 46.3 million. Maybe that’s just me.
September 18th, 2009 at 10:40 pm