Hospitalized Children Without Insurance Are More Likely to Die, a Study Finds

[NeoConsSuck]

Source: NY Times

Uninsured children who wind up in the hospital are much more likely to die than children covered by either private or government insurance plans, according to one of the first studies to assess the impact of insurance coverage on hospitalized children.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center analyzed data from more than 23 million children’s hospitalizations in 37 states from 1988 to 2005. Compared with insured children, uninsured children faced a 60 percent increased risk of dying, the researchers found.

The authors estimated that at least 1,000 hospitalized children died each year simply because they lacked insurance, accounting for 16,787 of some 38,649 children’s deaths nationwide during the period analyzed.

<snip>
“The striking thing is that children don’t often die,” Dr. Pronovost said. “This study provides further evidence that the need to insure everyone is a moral issue, not just an economic one.”

Read more: http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/lacking-insurance-hospitalized-children-more-likely-to-die/?hpw

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Every Blue Dog "Democrat" should print this article, read it and then swallow it and fucking choke on it.

[bemildred]

1. It is all about the money. nt

[New Dawn]

2. And that is what is called "economic liberty" by neo-liberals.

[Quantess]

3. Those children need to get a job!

If those kids are too lazy to work 8 hours a day, then why should I care that they choose not to pay for insurance?

[LuvNewcastle]

4. It's all about personal responsibility.

I spend all day on the picket lines making sure they don't get aborted, hallelujah! After that, they're on their own.:D

[Roland99]

5. Let's EACH mail a copy to Pelois, Reid, Baucus, Bayh, etc.

Let them know they're siding with corporations over people!

[creeksneakers2]

11. Pelosi, Reid etc passed children's health care

There is SCHIP now. All kids can get insurance, thanks to those people you unfairly criticized.

[JoeyT]

6. Of course there's some irony here too.

The people fighting the hardest against HCR and especially any kind of public option or single payer are the very ones that tend to trot out "OMFG What about teh childrenzzz?!?!?!?" arguments to support all manner of stupid things.(Especially anything that denies people civil liberties.) Yet when children dying from lack of health care are pointed out to them, their attitude suddenly becomes "Those kids? Fuck those kids. What about teh poor insurance companiiieeess?!?!?!?".
I'm talking about both republicans and blue dogs.

It's not funny at all, but it's still mildly ironic.

[Quantess]

8. Really, they do?

The RW has recently offered a talking point regarding the well being of children? I'm not doubting you, but, I guess I missed that particular talking point.

But yes, the irony is as thick as...iron? :)

[JoeyT]

9. They do it all the time.

Tough on crime(At least the war on poor/minorities part of it), war on drugs, the attack on gay rights, attacks on feminism, xenophobia, and censorship, are all at least partially defended with "What about the children?!" rhetoric. How often do we have to listen to someone say the equivalent of "If it saves the life/morals of just one child, it's worth it.".
Apparently the right thinks it's ok for them to die of a horrible wasting disease, as long as they're never allowed to hear the word "Fuck" on television. ;)

[Solly Mack]

7. K&R

[Hekate]

10. KnR nt