'I'm Not Sure It's A Fact' That Lack Of Health Insurance Causes People To Die

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I'm not sure that it's a fact that more and more people die because they don't have health insurance. But because they don't have health insurance, the care is not delivered in the best and most efficient way.

vs reality:

And for the record, a highly-publicized Harvard study released last month said that 45,000 deaths are linked to lack of health insurance coverage each year -- and that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40 percent higher death risk than their privately-insured counterparts.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/kyl-im-not-sure-its-a-fact-that-lack-of-health-insurance-causes-people-to-die.php?ref=mp

Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.

And some have pretty urgent issues that need immediate care. Many of them have worked hard most of their life, but the economy here is so horrible, and there are not many jobs. I have no doubt that people die from lack of health insurance.

What you have really said is that people choose not to get health care because they think they cannot afford the care, or do not want to pay for it. I am not belittling what you said, but I work with this population too.I also live in a rural area with a lot of poverty, but I always find a way to get at least partial assistance. I am always amazed and frustrated when I refer an untreated diabetic to our county free clinic but they refuse to go because they are asked to prove financial need. Is this a person who will be dying because of lack of health insurance or because they refused to complete the paperwork necessary to qualify them for free care?

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Specializes in Med Surg, Tele, PH, CM.
Moogie - I'm glad your friend is getting good care.

I don't think wigs should be covered though.

I agree, wigs are cosmetic. I know patients who feel better about themselves heal better, but wigs are still cosmetic. There are many agencies that offer re-cycled wigs to cancer patients who cannot afford them.

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How many of them smoke, drink beer, and buy lottery tickets? How many have a dish network dish on top of their house especially the High Definition one.

I live in a rural area and I am also a nurse here and I cannot think of one person who could not travel to another area if they wanted to.

It is very different where I live. I am in a rural part of Michigan, and I work in public health. There is a bus that will take people to local businesses, but it costs money. We have many people call the health department who cannot get a ride to out of town specialists, or cannot even get in to see their own doctor in town because they have no car, no money.

We have many people in our county who refuse care because they are terrified of getting a bill that would ruin them financially. And some have pretty urgent issues that need immediate care. Many of them have worked hard most of their life, but the economy here is so horrible, and there are not many jobs. I have no doubt that people die from lack of health insurance.

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Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
I understand the point you are making, and I do know the problems confronting the uninsured. I work with that every day. In the case of this patient, there would have been another option - the BCCP program, which is federally funded and administered at a state level. It pays for diagnosis and treatment (for the uninsured, or underinsured) for women who have breast or cervical cancer. Finding resources is often a lot of work, I do it every day, but there are a lot of resources out there if you look. Then there is always Medicaid that will, in many cases, pay for catastrophic costs on an income-elegible basis.

My friend and her husband make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy private insurance. I am glad she was able to get coverage through her husband's job. Good to know about the additional resources; if she has any problems, I will LHK. Also good to know about the recycled wigs.

Do you think that people who are eligible for assistance often don't get it because they distrust the system in some way?

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My friend and her husband make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to buy private insurance. I am glad she was able to get coverage through her husband's job. Good to know about the additional resources; if she has any problems, I will LHK. Also good to know about the recycled wigs.

Do you think that people who are eligible for assistance often don't get it because they distrust the system in some way?

While I see your issue here of not having insurance, I wonder what having insurance would change. If the services aren't there what good does having a way to pay for them. If I'm in the forest having lots of money is not gonna buy me food.

This care won't be universal just because of these same issues. If you live in a very rural area you are still gonna need to travel for care.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
I live in a rural area and I am also a nurse here and I cannot think of one person who could not travel to another area if they wanted to.

I live in a rural area too. My friend lives 1 hours and 10 mins to the nearest small town (level 3, 25 bed Critical Access) and that does not include the 20 mins she has to drive on a dirt road to get the main highway. It is another 25 mins to get to our biggest city which has a level 2 hospital; Not all rural areas are the same. 4 and a half hours to the nearest level 3

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
How many of them smoke, drink beer, and buy lottery tickets? How many have a dish network dish on top of their house especially the High Definition one.

Probably the same per-portion to urban people, probably less. You have a problem with people that live in rural areas?

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Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.
What you have really said is that people choose not to get health care because they think they cannot afford the care, or do not want to pay for it. I am not belittling what you said, but I work with this population too.I also live in a rural area with a lot of poverty, but I always find a way to get at least partial assistance. I am always amazed and frustrated when I refer an untreated diabetic to our county free clinic but they refuse to go because they are asked to prove financial need. Is this a person who will be dying because of lack of health insurance or because they refused to complete the paperwork necessary to qualify them for free care?

Uninsured people often cannot find a doctor who will see them...even with cash in hand. That is true for many family practice MDs and more so for specialists. I know this because I found myself seeking medical care without insurance a few years back. That is why community health centers are such an important part of our healthcare delivery system. Middle class folks with no insurance do not qualify for much of the assistance available for those who have poverty level income. And, just for the record...it is not affordable for many people making $35-50K/yr to purchase comprehensive health insurance for a family of 4 in the absence of a large group discount. Quite often the poverty level diabetic will have education, reading, or writing issues which prevents them from accessing much of the assistance available to them in the absence of someone (like you) to give them a hand with the research and/or paper work.

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