Uninsured Twice As Likely to DIE in the ER
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
November 20, 2009 4:01pm CST
We all know how conservatives have consistently been arguing that Americans who are uninsured can get care by simply visiting their local emergency room. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) said to a caller on CSPAN's Washington Journal in April, "Everybody in this country today does have access to health care. We hear a lot of people talk about the 46 million plus who
don't have access, well that's hogwash. Everybody has access, the
problem is everybody doesn't have insurance."
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) claimed that no American was without health care because "everyone can show up at the hospital."
Former President Bush has said, "[P]eople have access to
health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room."
They're right, they CAN and DO go to their local ERs all the time. However, do they receive "equal care" when compared to insured patients? A new study published in the journal Archives of Surgery has found that when that they do NOT!
Uninsured Americans "with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health
insurance," the study concluded. Also, "uninsured trauma patients were less likely to be admitted to the hospital and received fewer services during their admission compared with
insured trauma patients" -- and possess "a lower rate of health literacy and may
have less aptitude in communication with physicians and other treating team
members."
Read more here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/16/health/main5674116.shtml
Any comments?
Annie
3 people like this
7 responses
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
21 Nov 09
Why do the members of Congress think that all Americans have capitol hill insurance and doctors?
It's really sad that in this "great nation" we still have so many citizens dying from simple lack of health care. Leads me to believe that this nation isn't as great as the Republicans would like us to believe.
3 people like this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
20 Nov 09
Hi, Annie!
It never ceases to amaze me that there are people who still oppose health care reform. They seem to think tax dollars are more important than human lives. How can they even stand to look in the mirror?
2 people like this
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
21 Nov 09
Close enough.
No one opposes healthcare reform. Some oppose the 2000-page bills, however.
The fact that some people think the only type of healthcare reform to be had is the type that Reid and his ilk shove across the desk is extremely frightening.
That aside, I'm 100% for healthcare reform.
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
21 Nov 09
I must disagree. I've listened to, read and read about many, many people who oppose health care reform. I guess they must be able to handle their medical costs. I can't, even though my insurance coverage is some of the best available. Co-payments, exclusions and overcharges have forced me to forego groceries at least one week out of every month, and I'm in my 42nd year as a public school teacher, with NINE advanced degrees! If someone in such a supposedly secure position can't pay for private insurances over-charges, who can, except for the very healthy and very rich? My out-of-pocket medical costs last year were right around $20,000, while the company posted record-breaking profits, 92% higher than the year before. Is that the way private insurance can handle the job? We're being changed to a different carrier, much against our will, with far more exclusions, much higher deductibles and co-payments, and far fewer options for doctors and hospitals. I've already gone from my nice, new car to one that's 23 years old and sold most of the contents of my house. Where can I turn, if there is no reform? Remember, I'm insured! What will happen to all those who haven't gotten jobs while unemployment rates soar, or those who are unable to make ends meet and without employer-paid insurance? Should they just die and leave space for those who have the money?
2 people like this
@Troublegum (641)
• United States
21 Nov 09
Again, conservatives do not opose healtcare reform They oppose reform that decreases the quality of care that we receive on whole.
As for the ER. First I would have to look at the study in primary form, but I would say it is a bit suspect, because severly injured people are not checked in in the same fassion as people with less serious injuries. i.e. If you leg is missing, you are probably going to skip that whole step where they check to see if you are insured or not.
Also note that either way, in the ER, the people treating the patients usually don't know what the insurance status is of the person they are treating. They are just doing their best to save the life.
So again, I would be a little suspect of the study until I read the primary literature, but lets say it is true.
If it is true, then it only proves one thing. Healtcare that you pay for is better than free healthcare.
Think about it like lunch. You can get one of three burgers. The first costs you $8. The second cost you 99cents. And the third if free for anyone who stops by. Now if I told you that one of these was a Half pound of Angus beef with bacon and Swiss, could you guess which one it was?
@Netsbridge (3253)
• United States
21 Nov 09
Anniepa, I see you point, but still think the best way to tackle this problem is to create an atmosphere in which all people have equal opportunity to thrive for themselves. I just have a problem with government telling me when and how to take care of myself.
@Netsbridge (3253)
• United States
29 Nov 09
Ladybug, that's where the twist comes in: Unlike most people, I have always done my best to focus on proper nutrition for a healthy lifestyle. I have no health insurance and have not been to the Hospital for more than 20 years, except for work-related physicals. I however have no problem with Hospitals or health insurance. I have just come up with a better way of dealing with the two mentioned groups: I do my best to eat well and right and thus stay away from those two! Now, if I want to visit a Hospital, I want to have the freedom to compare rates and choose whichever I please!
@ladybugmagic (3978)
• United States
28 Nov 09
Do you prefer private health insurance companies telling you when and how to take care of yourself? That is the morbid reality of the situation. CEOs of health insurance companies have private yachts, three spectacular mansions, petting zoos.... They have an obese amount of money, because they cleverly find ways to deny people like you and me the coverage we pay into each month. They bankrupt people, and they let them die.
@Aingealicia (1905)
• United States
21 Nov 09
Annie,
That is horrible that that happens here. That is all I can really say because what else is there to say?
Great post.
Ainge
2 people like this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
21 Nov 09
I have been so focused on illness that I hadn't considered injuries...but it makes sense that hospitals would try to limit their financial losses when it comes to the uninsured.
2 people like this
@Laurie1986 (384)
• United States
21 Nov 09
Great discussion starter, Annie.
Even if this were not true (and, really, who's surprised?), the emergency room is only a fix if you need emergency care. If you break your arm, you can go to the ER and get it set and get some pain meds. If you get cancer, you can't keep going back to the ER for chemo. If you get diabetes, you can't go back to the ER several times a day to get your insulin--and the cost of insulin is bankrupting people who DO have insurance, by the way. Imagine what it's like for a diabetic without. It's stunning how quickly this argument falls apart, yet it still carries water (or, it seemingly does) for so many people.
2 people like this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
21 Nov 09
What do you get for that $300 per month insurance premium, troublegum? You get a yearly deductable of up to $20k and, yes, the intake staffer in the ER will be able to access information regarding whether you will be responsible for the fees or they will.
2 people like this
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
21 Nov 09
I doubt it spall because we pay over $400 (it's about 480) and our deductible is 10,000.
1 person likes this
@Troublegum (641)
• United States
21 Nov 09
Yes there is the ER, but there is also currently Passport, Medicare and medicaid. You have to be pretty depleated in terms of funds to qualify, but that is why they are there as a safety net not a right. The people who suffer most are the people who make poor decisions. For example. I know people who pay $1000 in monthly rent, $100 / Month on cable and internat. $80/month on a cell phone bill and $25 / month on ciggarettes and don't have health insurance.
A better choice would be to get a $700/ month apartment and spend $300 on health insurance.
Instead what will happen is if they do get sick, they will end up losing their house and cell phone and cable and end up on a government program to get healthcare.
Again it is all about prioritys and risk taking. If you want to live more extravigantly and risk losing everything, that is a choice you have right now.
If you have nothing to start with, there are programs there to help you besids the ER.
@coolcoder (2018)
• United States
21 Nov 09
CBS News! HA! That's why these statements are such bull. They're being touted by one of them most liberal TV stations you can find, second only to NBC news. The news source itself is enough to question the accuracy of their "reporting," because 9 times out of 10, their stories are twisted up to mean something else, or important facts are left out. After all, we can't have those pesky facts to ruin a dramatic newscast, can we? It's all about the ratings.
For the record, I've been in the situation that they're talking about, and I have NEVER had less than quality care.
