| Statistics from University Buffalo researches found | | | | patients have a higher mortality rate raises more |
| that accident patients with Medicaid had a lower death | | | | questions. |
| rate than those who had private insurance. If you are | | | | Jehle also stated that "uninsured adult patients in |
| the unfortunate one of an auto accident or gunshot | | | | general have a 25 percent greater mortality rate than |
| wound without health insurance, you are more likely to | | | | insured adults for all medical conditions," and so the |
| die of your injuries than if you have private insurance. | | | | study's findings are not as surprising. Lack of health |
| Lack of money to hire a nursing assistant or | | | | insurance causes people to delay getting treatment, a |
| appropriate care is a main cause. | | | | nursing assistant or other medical options. People |
| Data from the Institutes of Medicine shows that tens | | | | without insurance generally are in poorer health, says |
| of thousands of people die each year due to lack of | | | | Jehle, which would reduce their ability to survive |
| insurance. A study published in the Journal of Hospital | | | | trauma.Fact is, in general people without insurance |
| Medicine, for example, reported that an uninsured | | | | have poorer health which would reduce the ability to |
| person's chances of dying if hospitalized for a heart | | | | survive traumas. |
| attack, stroke, or pneumonia are significantly greater | | | | Additional facts that might affect mortality rates include |
| than if he or she had private health insurance and the | | | | a reluctance to seek medical care or nursing |
| means to hire a nursing assistant or get the best care. | | | | assistance by certain ethnic groups because of |
| As the country continues to ponder and talk over | | | | language barriers, or that the uninsured are more likely |
| health insurance costs, coverage, and options, | | | | to drive older, less safe vehicles. |
| researchers are learning that the cost of not having | | | | This data also found, however, that patients on |
| health insurance can be deadly for many people. | | | | Medicaid who suffered injury in a motor vehicle |
| The following study came from 649 facilities and | | | | accident had a lesser mortality rate than people who |
| included 150,332 patients who had suffered blunt | | | | had private insurance, which suggests that factors |
| trauma (mostly motor vehicle accidents, but also falls | | | | other than the amount of payment for medical |
| or assaults) and 41,334 who had penetrating trauma, | | | | services and nursing assistants influences the outcome |
| mostly gunshot wounds but also stabbings. This | | | | of trauma care. |
| University Buffalo (UB) study consisted of an | | | | Jehle suggests that having universal health coverage |
| evaluation of data from the national Trauma Data | | | | can have a good impact on the population that they |
| Bank for 2001-2005 and included 191,666 patients | | | | researched. "For instance," he noted, "there would be |
| between the ages of 18 and 30, which eliminated | | | | no need for patients to delay treatment or nursing |
| individuals who were more likely to have chronic health | | | | assistants with universal health coverage, and such |
| conditions. | | | | nursing assistants and health coverage could improve |
| Dietrich Jehle, MD, UB professor of emergency | | | | the overall health status of injury victims and improve |
| medicine and the first author on the study, noted that | | | | their survival rates." Time will tell on how the new |
| we generally don't know a trauma patients insurance | | | | health insurance and health reform laws will impact |
| status until after the treatment which makes them | | | | mortality among accident patients and other health |
| think if there are differences in these populations other | | | | care consumers. |
| than the delivery of care. The fact that uninsured | | | | |