Not Having Illinois Medical Insurance Heightens Mortality Risks PDF Print E-mail
Written by Mike Novelli   
Monday, 08 March 2010 23:17
Forgoing Illinois medical insurance heightens death toll potential. As the health insurance reform bill remains unsettled, several research studies depict the risk of a higher mortality rate among the uninsured. From developing cardiovascular disease or cancer, to suffering from a traumatic injury, data indicates that being without Illinois medical insurance is merely a detrimental prospect.
by MikeNovelli


Forgoing Illinois medical insurance heightens death toll potential. As the health insurance reform bill remains unsettled, several research studies depict the risk of a higher mortality rate among the uninsured. From developing cardiovascular disease or cancer, to suffering from a traumatic injury, data indicates that being without Illinois medical insurance is merely a detrimental prospect.

A study of 1231 patients, recovering from head or neck cancers from 1998 through 2007 at the Pittsburgh Medical Center evaluated the survival rate of patients, who were uninsured to the insured. One hundred and twenty eight patients, who were on Medicaid or were without health insurance perished, illustrated a fifty percent survival rate. By comparison, 22 percent of the patients with medical coverage perished.

Similar mortality discrepancies were noted among individuals suffering from traumatic injuries. Physicians and researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School collected statistics from the National Trauma Data Bank, which has a compilation of 2.7 million patients admitted to trauma centers throughout the United States. Evaluating data from 2002 and 2006, researchers looked at 687,091 adult patients admissions. The data showed a significant correlation in the death rate of the uninsured patient versus the insured. Researchers tried to modify the data to reduce the impact of race, age and gender; however, the statistics maintained a higher mortality rate among the uninsured. Even more curious, individuals on Medicare showed a comparable survival odds to patients covered by a private health insurance policy.

Researchers compared hospital admissions, from 1998 to 2005 at the Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Critical Care, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, reviewing the mortality rate of 29,829 patient admissions. Sixty-eight percent of the admissions were uninsured patients. The data suggested a higher death rate among the non-insured, who were younger with fewer injuries than the surviving insured counterparts.

Although hospitals provide treatment, it is undetermined whether the difference in medical care occurs during hospitalization. Even without any specific clinical trials comparing the death toll of the uninsured to individuals with Illinois medical insurance, the Centers for Disease Control has data suggesting that the rate of Illinoisans not having Illinois medical insurance has been spiking for the last decade.

Meanwhile, cardiovascular disease continues be the first cause of death in the United States. The American Heart Association noticed a 33 percent spike in cardiovascular inpatient operations from 1996 to 2006. With close to 15 percent of the Illinois population not having Illinois medical insurance coupled with a high mortality rate of the uninsured, and the emerging number of cardiovascular disease diagnoses, a lack of health coverage forecasts a detrimental outcome.

Illinois medical insurance consultant, Michael Novelli "Despite the fact that cancer and cardiovascular diseases are not completely preventable, individuals with medical coverage are more apt to have early detection, assuring better medical care. An abundance of managed care Illinois medical insurance plans are economical enough to impede additional medical casualties.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

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