Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance

[Shallah Kali]

http://www.physorg.com/news177079796.html



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, pointedly say the health reform legislation pending in the House and Senate will not significantly affect this grim picture.

snip

"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 of medicine at Harvard Medical School who testified before Congress about uninsured veterans in 2007 and carried out the analysis released today. "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, 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."

http://pnhp.org/excessdeaths/health-insurance-and-mortality-in-US-adults.pdf

[PuraVidaDreamin]

1. That's just wrong

Will it change for the men and women serving now?

[bobbolink]

2. I was hoping someone would start doing projections like this.

I wonder if this was influenced by Rep. Alan Grayson?

"The researchers, who released their analysis today, pointedly say the health reform legislation pending in the House and Senate will not significantly affect this grim picture."

Oh, that's going to go over really well with the loyalists on DU.


:hide:

[Shallah Kali]

3. Harvard has been researching & testifying about this stuff before Grayson was elected

http://www.physorg.com/news177079796.html

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 of medicine at Harvard Medical School who testified before Congress http://www.pnhp.org/PDF_files/Woolhandler_Veterans_Testimony.pdf about uninsured veterans in 2007 and carried out the analysis released today. "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."

[AndyA]

4. This is how we support the troops in America, apparently.

It's disgraceful. :(

[optimator]

5. thats the flaw in VA care

only the poorest veterans get care.
all veterans regardless of income should get 100% care for life with the VA system.

[ThomCat]

6. "legislation pending in the House and Senate will not significantly affect this grim picture."

:grr:

So this piece of shit legislation doesn't even help our uninsured vets. Wonderful! :(

Every new bit of information makes this "victory" look worse.

[Shanti Mama]

7. As a strategic marketing person my brain goes wild with things like this

It is, of course, terrible information. But POWERFUL. Obama needs to state this in his next well covered speech, although it will probably be too late by then.

This data needs to get to hit the news. Not only are the repubs anti-working people and just about everything else, but this proves just how much they don't want to support our military. We must protect ourselves in the 2010 election and it's this kind of info that will do the job.