The lack of preventive care means the uninsured are often in worse shape when they do seek help. The cost of emergency services – which by law must be provided – is shared by hospitals and insurance companies.
One in six Americans lacks health insurance and is therefore more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Aids and other illnesses, while the number of uninsured Americans has grown over two decades from 12.3 to 15.8 per cent, according to new research.
The research – presented in a pair of studies in the October 2000 Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama) – is likely to stoke the debate over the U.S. health system.
The Jama studies show a sharp racial divide in the ranks of the country’s uninsured. More than 20 per cent of blacks and 32 per cent of Hispanics lack health insurance, compared with 12 per cent of whites.
Men are less likely to be insured than women, and young adults – probably because they feel healthier – are less likely to be insured than older Americans.
The research also throws doubt on the ability of “free care” – health centres funded by charities and state and local governments – to bridge the insurance gap.
Although more than half of all Americans believe such centres adequately address the problems of the uninsured, the care provided this way is inferior, says Jama. Also, uninsured Americans are far less likely to receive regular check-ups, be tested for Aids and undergo cholesterol and cancer screening. The lack of preventive care means the uninsured are often in worse shape when they do seek help. The cost of emergency services – which by law must be provided – is shared by hospitals and insurance companies.
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