Daily News Updates - Health Insurance News

Health insurance -- Life and Death Issue.  Michigan findings

A feature by Michelle Swartz of the Monroe Evening News, Monroe, MI reports the seriousness of not having health insurance. In a national study conducted by Families USA, a national organization for health care consumers it was concluded that an average of nearly two people per day die due to lack of health insurance in Michigan. Similar statistics would be expected in many other states. Executive Director of Families USA, Ron Pollack, made these comments: "Our report highlights how our inadequate system of health coverage condemns a great number of Michiganians to an early death, simply because they don't have the same access to health care as their insured neighbors." "The conclusions are sadly clear - a lack of health coverage is a matter of life and death for many Michiganians." Part of the problem stems from the fact that many, if not most of those without health insurance do not schedule checkups and other preventative care. As a result, undiagnosed diseases won’t be discovered until conditions are critical. Chances for survival can be greatly diminished, in these cases.

According to the Institute of Medicine, some 25% of the uninsured adults are more likely to die prematurely than adults that have health insurance. The third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer is the lack of health insurance. In an earlier report, back in 2002, the Institute of Medicine gave estimates that in 2000 18,000 died nationwide because of not having health insurance. In 2006 the Urban Institute reported at least 22,000 adults died for the same reason.