Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Wither Our Young and Uninsured? -- Are we concerned?

Taken from excerpts are from a fine article written by Sheila K. Kee of the Niagara Gazette in NYS. Regardless of state or locale, I believe that most of us agree that this is a serious problem on an issue that determines the very fabric of our society. To open, Sheila asserts that “No child in our nation should go without health insurance. Yet, nationwide there are 9 million uninsured children. In New York state, 415,000 children do not have health insurance and in Niagara County alone 4,000 children are uninsured.” Without health insurance, children don’t receive needed preventative care nor immunizations. Children are unique, in that they are growing and developing more quickly than adults. Also, as children, they tend to be more care-free than adults. With this, their needs lean toward the much-more-prevailant concerns, such as dental, vision and the many medical conditions we would not put on them, such as sore throats, ear infections and worse – asthma. According to research, uninsured children when injured are 30% less likely to receive medical treatment than insured children. What else is at stake? Achievement in life. There is a substantial gap between the healthy and not-so-healthy children as viewed later in life. Ramifications are far-reaching, but here are a few that are well documented: other conditions equal, children with health insurance coverage perform better in their education, they are more confident and they become better prepared to succeed into adult life. As Sheila sums it up: “Health insurance can dramatically improve health outcomes for children and can make a critical difference in their lives.”