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Lack of health insurance contributes to deaths, report says Friday, Mar 14, 2008 By Aaron Sadler Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - Close to 400 Arkansans die prematurely each year because they have no health insurance, according to a new report Democrats used Thursday to cite a need for broader health care coverage. The report by Washington-based Families USA said a death a day in Arkansas can be directly attributed to a lack of health insurance. Uninsured working-age Arkansans are less likely than their insured counterparts to seek medical care or undergo preventive medical screenings. An estimated half-million Arkansas residents are uninsured. "You don't have to be all broke out in brilliance to know that someone that does not have health care coverage and cannot afford health-care coverage is much more likely to have a serious illness or die," said Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett. Democrats in Congress are pushing for universal health insurance, though even advocates of broad medical coverage for Americans dispute how best to attain it. Both Democratic presidential candidates proposed health insurance plans that achieve universal coverage through public-private partnerships. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., would mandate health coverage for all Americans by offering incentives to employers to offer health insurance and expanding government programs like Medicaid. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., also would expand government programs, mandate coverage for children and provide subsidies for people to buy into a public or private insurance plan. Both would eliminate tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans in order to pay for the program. Presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain does not mandate coverage in his proposal. He would offer tax credits to individuals who purchase insurance. Opponents of universal coverage claim a government-controlled medical system would drive up taxes and eliminate consumer choice. A spokeswoman for Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, said the state's lone Republican in Congress thinks all Americans should have access to health care, but the federal government should not be responsible for managing it. For Arkansas businesses, the issue is tied to money, said Kenny Hall, executive vice president of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. "Health-care costs are a constant daily top concern of businesses in Arkansas, and I'm sure they are nationwide," Hall said. "I know that everybody would love to find the solution, but I'm not sure everybody has the answer." The Families USA report said about 2,400 Arkansas residents died because they lacked insurance from 2000 to 2006. The findings were based on studies of working-age adults by the Institute of Medicine and the Urban Institute. About 390 Arkansans died in 2006 primarily because they did not have insurance, the report stated. Among uninsured Arkansans ages 55 to 64, the lack of insurance was the third-leading cause of death. Families USA is a nonprofit organization that identifies itself as nonpartisan. "Our report highlights how an inadequate system of health care condemns a great number of people in Arkansas to an early death simply because they don't have the same access to health care as their insured neighbors do," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA. Uninsured Americans often put off needed care because they cannot afford to see a primary care physician, according to the study. When they finally seek treatment, they find costs sometimes more than double what is paid by others - insurance companies often negotiate discounts for their customers' treatment. Berry said Congress seems to be moving toward some response to Americans' health care needs, though he said no broad changes can be expected until a new presidential administration takes over next year. Lawmakers hope to stave off $600 billion in Medicare and Medicaid cuts proposed by the White House over 10 years, Berry said. Democrats continue to push for a broad expansion of SCHIP, a federal insurance program for children. "With the number of Arkansans who cannot afford health insurance increasing by the day, Congress can no longer wait on the sidelines to address this critical problem," said Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott. In Arkansas, a federal-state program to provide some basic insurance services to low-income workers and small businesses has seen moderate success. The program that helps pay for some basic medical services currently has about 3,000 participants, according to the state Department of Human Services. |
