Anger: 45,000 Americans die every year because they lack health insurance

colleen B

Some of us feel anger at the medical establishment...

Some Americans are not getting treated for their illnesses and dying..so while the far right talks about "death panels" the reality is that 45,000 Americans die every year because they do not have health insurance.

So what does that have to do with cancer?

This system is failing. There should be scientific studies looking into why so many people are being diagnosed with cancer but it isn't happening because it would upset the economics of the large corporations that supply us with our cleaning products and food and plastic packaging. I can remember when it was denied that smoking caused cancer...and that was because of the profit motive in cigarette sales...

Question the yearly deaths of 45,000? Then read this study by Harvard..and then ask yourself..

Why haven't more people heard about this?


http://www.harvardscience.harvard.edu/medicine-health/articles/new-study-finds-45000-deaths-annually-linked-lack-health-coverage

New study finds 45,000 deaths annually linked to lack of health coverage

Uninsured, working-age Americans have 40 percent higher death risk than privately insured counterparts

September 17, 2009

David Cecere
Cambridge Health Alliance

Nearly 45,000 annual deaths are associated with lack of health insurance, according to a new study published online today by the American Journal of Public Health. That figure is about two and a half times higher than an estimate from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 2002.

The study, conducted at Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance, found that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40 percent higher risk of death than their privately insured counterparts, up from a 25 percent excess death rate found in 1993.

“The uninsured have a higher risk of death when compared to the privately insured, even after taking into account socioeconomics, health behaviors, and baseline health,” said lead author Andrew Wilper, M.D., who currently teaches at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “We doctors have many new ways to prevent deaths from hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease — but only if patients can get into our offices and afford their medications.”

The study, which analyzed data from national surveys carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), assessed death rates after taking into account education, income, and many other factors, including smoking, drinking, and obesity. It estimated that lack of health insurance causes 44,789 excess deaths annually.

Previous estimates from the IOM and others had put that figure near 18,000. The methods used in the current study were similar to those employed by the IOM in 2002, which in turn were based on a pioneering 1993 study of health insurance and mortality.

Deaths associated with lack of health insurance now exceed those caused by many common killers such as kidney disease. An increase in the number of uninsured and an eroding medical safety net for the disadvantaged likely explain the substantial increase in the number of deaths, as the uninsured are more likely to go without needed care. Another factor contributing to the widening gap in the risk of death between those who have insurance and those who do not is the improved quality of care for those who can get it.

The researchers analyzed U.S. adults under age 65 who participated in the annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) between 1986 and 1994. Respondents first answered detailed questions about their socioeconomic status and health and were then examined by physicians. The CDC tracked study participants to see who died by 2000.

The study found a 40 percent increased risk of death among the uninsured. As expected, death rates were also higher for males (37 percent increase), current or former smokers (102 percent and 42 percent increases), people who said that their health was fair or poor (126 percent increase), and those who examining physicians said were in fair or poor health (222 percent increase).

Steffie Woolhandler, study co-author, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a primary care physician at Cambridge Health Alliance, noted: “Historically, every other developed nation has achieved universal health care through some form of nonprofit national health insurance. Our failure to do so means that all Americans pay higher health care costs, and 45,000 pay with their lives.”

“The Institute of Medicine, using older studies, estimated that one American dies every 30 minutes from lack of health insurance,” remarked David Himmelstein, study co-author, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and a primary care physician at Cambridge Health Alliance. “Even this grim figure is an underestimate — now one dies every 12 minutes.”

Other authors include Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and David U. Himmelstein. The study was supported by a National Service Research Award.

cmn412

lost my healt coverage
I will lose my health covage from work at the end of this month. I had my surgery in Feb 2010 and I did have my first scan last month and it was good.

My job decided not to carry health insurance anymore as we do not have enough people for group coverage.

I will not be able to get the regular 1st year check ups as I should and that worries me a little.

I am looking into highrisk state health insurance that I will have to get on my own. But as for now, prior health conditions mean that I was turn down for reg insurance.

It is a mess I agree. what to do? I better get back to work I'll need the money to pay for insurance. I thank God that I have done as well as I have and I can work. I wish I could fix it but I can't.

colleen B

cmn412 said:

lost my healt coverage
I will lose my health covage from work at the end of this month. I had my surgery in Feb 2010 and I did have my first scan last month and it was good.

My job decided not to carry health insurance anymore as we do not have enough people for group coverage.

I will not be able to get the regular 1st year check ups as I should and that worries me a little.

I am looking into highrisk state health insurance that I will have to get on my own. But as for now, prior health conditions mean that I was turn down for reg insurance.

It is a mess I agree. what to do? I better get back to work I'll need the money to pay for insurance. I thank God that I have done as well as I have and I can work. I wish I could fix it but I can't.

AMA
It was once that about 20,000 Americans died every year because they did not have health insurance. ..and I guess from the AMA's point of view that was acceptable...

Now that the number without health insurance is so high ( about 40 million) and people can not afford health care ..now the AMA wants the government to intervene.

This all should have been done in the 1950s or 60s. And people who are ill should not be worrying about how to pay bills. Its a national disgrace. No other wealthy western nation has this problem.

Because the health care industry is driven by profits it has distorted the research into cancer. Much more should have been done to look into inexpensive botanicals..but the big pharmaceutical companies fund the research..and there is no profit in botanicals...

So there are small experiments done in vitro or with animals ..while the best and most expensive experiments ..those done with humans are not done.

Also it is clear that the causes of cancer are in the environment..but that means doing research into the products made by corporations...powerful and wealthy corporations that don't want research done on their money making products.

i think capitalism is a good system but it has to be regulated by the government and what we have now is corporations with too much influence in our government.

People are getting caught up in this mess and their lives are being hurt. it breaks my heart to read the stories here ..such misery and pain..and because the health care system has been too influenced by money..

There are chemicals in our environment that are causing these cancers..where is the research to find them out? Cases of esophageal cancer are increasing. Why is that?

Anyway I hope things work out well for you..How much would a check up cost you? I am glad that your cancer is not affecting you any more and I will pray for your continued good health