Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance
A research team at Harvard Medical School estimates 2,266 U.S. military veterans under the age of 65 died last year because they lacked health insurance and thus had reduced access to care. That figure is more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died (911 as of Oct. 31) since the war began in 2001.
The researchers, who released their analysis today [Tuesday], pointedly say the health reform legislation pending in the House and Senate will not significantly affect this grim picture.
The Harvard group analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2009 Current Population Survey, which surveyed Americans about their insurance coverage and veteran status, and found that 1,461,615 veterans between the ages of 18 and 64 were uninsured in 2008. Veterans were only classified as uninsured if they neither had health insurance nor received ongoing care at Veterans Health Administration (VA) hospitals or clinics.
Using their recently published findings in the American Journal of Public Health that show being uninsured raises an individual’s odds of dying by 40 percent (causing 44,798 deaths in the United States annually among those aged 17 to 64), they arrived at their estimate of 2,266 preventable deaths of non-elderly veterans in 2008. (See table.)
“Like other uninsured Americans, most uninsured vets are working people - too poor to afford private coverage but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or means-tested VA care,” said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor at Harvard Medical School who testified before Congress about uninsured veterans in 2007 and carried out the analysis released today [Tuesday]. “As a result, veterans go without the care they need every day in the U.S., and thousands die each year. It’s a disgrace.”
Dr. David Himmelstein, the co-author of the analysis and associate professor of medicine at Harvard, commented, “On this Veterans Day we should not only honor the nearly 500 soldiers who have died this year in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also the more than 2,200 veterans who were killed by our broken health insurance system. That’s six preventable deaths a day.”
He continued: “These unnecessary deaths will continue under the legislation now before the House and Senate. Those bills would do virtually nothing for the uninsured until 2013, and leave at least 17 million uninsured over the long run. We need a solution that works for all veterans - and for all Americans - single-payer national health insurance.”
While many Americans believe that all veterans can get care from the VA, even combat veterans may not be able to obtain VA care, Woolhandler said. As a rule, VA facilities provide care for any veteran who is disabled by a condition connected to his or her military service and care for specific medical conditions acquired during military service.
Woolhandler said veterans who pass a means test are eligible for care in VA facilities, but have lower priority status (Priority 5 or 7, depending upon income level). Veterans with higher incomes are classified in the lowest priority group and are not eligible for VA enrollment.
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Some sources for possible patient stories are available upon request. Please contact Mark Almberg at (312) 782-6006 or [email protected].
Physicians for a National Health Program (www.pnhp.org) is an organization of 17,000 doctors who support single-payer national health insurance, often called an improved Medicare for All. To speak with a physician/spokesperson in your area, visit www.pnhp.org/stateactions or call (312) 782-6006.
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It is fairly easy to draw a straight line from these deaths to conservative opposition to a single payor system that might provide health insurance and preventive/pallative care as opposed to burdening ERs with dying veterans, or simple opposition to fuding the VA with enough to take care of veterans.
Let's see:
Conservatives are:
Anti-intellectual (they "embrace simpletons")
Anti-science
Pro-rape (ask Joe Biden)
Racists
Want children to go hungry
Want elderly to eat dog food
And now, they want veterans to die
Got it.
By the way, that study was very scientific.
Most conservatives are white so i guess we can lump whitey into this too, huh?
Seems scientific to me.......
i don't think this is an accurate research. Just my opinion though.
Seems to me we have the system the last round of health care reform in the 1990s left us, partially to credit for the result. Policies do have consequences, but so do ins utions, which are letting older veterans slip through the cracks.
(Or who knows, maybe they were happy to escape...)
I think the big difference that isn't being highlighted here is that AQ really does want to kill us, whereas Conservatives don't really want to kill uninsured veterans. It just happens like that sometimes. If you can't afford a insurance or don't get it through your employer, get a better job - the solutions are out there if you try! Now gather around, everybody...team on 3. 1, 2...
If its so easy, one wonders why the "research" doesnt bother to connect the dots.
....Other than to say "tis so."
The far bigger scandal here is why isn't anyone pointing out how 100% of people with health insurance die? And now Obama wants to give poor people health insurance? Are you kidding me? It's genocide!
Health Insurance kills! Also, research shows that damn near every person that died this year breaths a mixture of oxygen! Oxygen kilks!
Oxygen dependence is obviously a conservative plot.
I mean, look man! Its soooo obvious!
Welcome to another episode of Weaksauce Analysis.
This article/study was apparently from 2009The researchers, who released their analysis today [Tuesday], pointedly say the health reform legislation pending in the House and Senate will not significantly affect this grim picture.
The pending legislation passed.
So, Obamacare kills veterans too?
"AQ really does want to kill us, whereas Conservatives don't really want to kill uninsured veterans."
Repugs are blindly ideological and often stupid, but they should know by now that policies have real consequences (like the 1% amassing $Ts in wealth) and 10Ks babies and moms in US dying every year from lack of perinatal care, for 20K more unwanted pregancies in TX due to Repugs killing family planning clinics (free contraception, condoms)
Lots of dots...bd...no lines.
Al Qaeda is targeting veterans now?
Can't catch a break...
OK, what is the percentage of veterans in this nation. What is the percentage of of that 2,200 from those who died in 2008?Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance
This is meaningless without more clarity.
RG. Come on man. Come on.
(Admission: I just deleted a ton of cursing and from that previous sentence.)
If the libs didn't squeeze military pay so much, most of those vets would still be active duty imo.
It would be nice if people were to stop pointing fingers and start discussing solutions. The two party system sucks my ass.
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