Over 2,200 vets died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance
EconomicDemocracy Coop
Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance,
according new a new analysis by researchers at Harvard Medical School
and PNHP co-founders Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein.
This figure is 14 times the number of deaths suffered by U.S. troops
in Afghanistan in 2008. Nearly 1.5 million working-age veterans lacked
health insurance last year and thus have reduced access to care,
increasing their death rate.
PNHPers are encouraged to forward the press release (below) to their
local media contacts. Already the story has received coverage in New
America Media and TruthOut.
Unfortunately, the current legislation pending in Congress will not
significantly affect this grim picture. As you know, on Saturday the
House of Representatives narrowly passed HR 3962, which embodies the
administration's "individual mandate" approach to health reform, by
220 to 215.
...in addition to all its other glaring deficiencies (including
failing to expand coverage until after 2013; windfall subsidies and
capitulation to the private insurance industry; a sham version of the
"public option," etc).[See
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/november/statement_by_cnanno.php]
We encourage you to read Dr. Marcia Angell's analysis of the bill and
the statement from Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) who courageously voted
against it, along with one other single payer supporter, Rep. Dennis
Kucinich Is the House Bill better than Nothing? By Marcia Angell, M.D.
Physician, Author, Senior Lecturer, Harvard Medical School
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/november/is_the_house_health_.php
and Massa says he can't support health care bill:
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2009/november/massa_says_he_cant_.php
Donna Smith, an organizer with the California Nurses Association and
one of the patients featured in Michael Moore's Sicko, notes that the
bill would not have prevented her from going bankrupt and losing her
home when she developed cancer, despite the fact that she had private
health insurance. Indeed, the bill wouldn't have prevented any of the
tragedies exposed in the film (See Smith's video "American Sickos:
Will the Current Bills Help? No").
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHVANCSpnO8
=========Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health
insurance:
Immediate Release Contacts:
Nov. 10, 2009 Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H.
David Himmelstein, M.D.
Mark Almberg, Physicians for a National Health Program,
(312) 782-6006, ma...@pnhp.org
Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance
Harvard researchers say 1.46 million working-age vets lacked health
coverage last year, increasing their death rate
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.
The Harvard group analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau's March
2009 Current Population Survey, which surveyed Americans about their
insurance coverage and veteran status, and found that 1,461,615
veterans between the ages of 18 and 64 were uninsured in 2008.
Veterans were only classified as uninsured if they neither had health
insurance nor received ongoing care at Veterans Health Administration
(VA) hospitals or clinics.
Using their recently published findings in the American Journal of
Public Health that show being uninsured raises an individual's odds of
dying by 40 percent (causing 44,798 deaths in the United States
annually among those aged 17 to 64), they arrived at their estimate of
2,266 preventable deaths of non-elderly veterans in 2008. (See table
below.)
"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 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, the 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."
He continued: "These unnecessary deaths will continue under the
legislation now before the House and Senate. Those bills would do
virtually nothing for the uninsured until 2013, and leave at least 17
million uninsured over the long run. We need a solution that works for
all veterans - and for all Americans - single-payer national health
insurance."
While many Americans believe that all veterans can get care from the
VA, even combat veterans may not be able to obtain VA care,
Woolhandler said. As a rule, VA facilities provide care for any
veteran who is disabled by a condition connected to his or her
military service and care for specific medical conditions acquired
during military service.
Woolhandler said veterans who pass a means test are eligible for care
in VA facilities, but have lower priority status (Priority 5 or 7,
depending upon income level). Veterans with higher incomes are
classified in the lowest priority group and are not eligible for VA
enrollment.
*****
Some sources for possible patient stories are available upon request.
Please contact Mark Almberg at (312) 782-6006 or ma...@pnhp.org.
Physicians for a National Health Program (www.pnhp.org) is an
organization of 17,000 doctors who support single-payer national
health insurance, often called an improved Medicare for All. To speak
with a physician/spokesperson in your area, visit www.pnhp.org/stateactions
or call (312) 782-6006.
[I am not copy/pasting the html table here since it is hard to make
the format come out correctly.. The pnhp.org website should have
another html copy right there -ED]
A December 2007 paper in the American Journal of Public Health
estimating the number of uninsured veterans from 1987 to 2004 can be
found here: http://tinyurl.com/yk8ous5
Physicians for a National Health Program
29 E Madison Suite 602, Chicago, IL 60602
Phone (312) 782-6006 | Fax: (312) 782-6007
www.pnhp.org | in...@pnhp.org
© PNHP 2009
=========
================ End article
Protect yourself and your family, with information or to take action:
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_myths_singlepayer_facts.php
sf
http://www.healthcare-now.org/
And Myths vs Facts about Single Payer:
http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_myths_singlepayer_facts.php
JumpsOnFire
<econde...@gmail.com> said:
> Dear PNHP members and friends,
>
> Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance,
> according new a new analysis by researchers at Harvard Medical School
> and PNHP co-founders Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein.
> This figure is 14 times the number of deaths suffered by U.S. troops
> in Afghanistan in 2008. Nearly 1.5 million working-
If they were "Veterans" all they had to do to get treatment for what
ever their ills were was to go to a Veteran's Administration clinic or
hospital and they would have received medical attention at little or no
cost to them.
This appears to be just some more of the Anti-American BULL SHIT that
regularly spews from academia land!
Bob
wrote:
>On 2009-11-10 14:37:30 -0500, EconomicDemocracy Coop
><econde...@gmail.com> said:
>
>> Dear PNHP members and friends,
>>
>> Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance,
>> according new a new analysis by researchers at Harvard Medical School
>> and PNHP co-founders Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein.
>> This figure is 14 times the number of deaths suffered by U.S. troops
>> in Afghanistan in 2008. Nearly 1.5 million working-
>
>If they were "Veterans" all they had to do to get treatment for what
>ever their ills were was to go to a Veteran's Administration clinic or
>hospital and they would have received medical attention at little or no
>cost to them.
Not always a clinic or hospital near enough...
Some of them don't want to leave their family and don't have enough
money to bring along the family. Some just forget about their military
service back in WWII, and some are too proud to take what they
consider charity.
JumpsOnFire
> On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:17:11 -0500, JumpsOnFire <gero...@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 2009-11-10 14:37:30 -0500, EconomicDemocracy Coop
>> <econde...@gmail.com> said:
>>
>>> Dear PNHP members and friends,
>>>
>>> Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance,
>>> according new a new analysis by researchers at Harvard Medical School
>>> and PNHP co-founders Drs. Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein.
>>> This figure is 14 times the number of deaths suffered by U.S. troops
>>> in Afghanistan in 2008. Nearly 1.5 million working-
>>
>> If they were "Veterans" all they had to do to get treatment for what
>> ever their ills were was to go to a Veteran's Administration clinic or
>> hospital and they would have received medical attention at little or no
>> cost to them.
>
> Not always a clinic or hospital near enough...
Agreed, however, if the illness is serious enough there are ways and
means to get a veteran to treatment he/she needs, One should not over
look the value of the Veteran's Service Representatives at local VFW
and American Leigon Posts
> Some of them don't want to leave their family and don't have enough
> money to bring along the family.
It's a tough decision but if a life depends on it the Veteran's family
can urge that he do what ever is required to abate or cure his illness.
> Some just forget about their military
> service back in WWII, and some are too proud to take what they
> consider charity.
Veterans who are eligible for medicare are also eligible for "Tricare
for Life" a FREE supplement to Medicare provided by the government for
Veterans over 65 which in almost all cases when treated by a medical
facility that accepts Medicare and Tricare (as most doctors and
hospitals now do -- what will happen after the Congress get through
with their foolishness one can only hope) pays the difference in a
medical bill that Medicare doesn't cover.
Veterans with service connected disabilities, even those rated at
"zero" are eligible to enroll in the Standard Tricare ( for those who
have not reached 65) program which is a very inexpensive health care
supplement provided by the government.
Bob
wrote:
>Veterans who are eligible for medicare are also eligible for "Tricare
>for Life" a FREE supplement to Medicare provided by the government for
>Veterans over 65 which in almost all cases when treated by a medical
>facility that accepts Medicare and Tricare (as most doctors and
>hospitals now do -- what will happen after the Congress get through
>with their foolishness one can only hope) pays the difference in a
>medical bill that Medicare doesn't cover.
>
>Veterans with service connected disabilities, even those rated at
>"zero" are eligible to enroll in the Standard Tricare ( for those who
>have not reached 65) program which is a very inexpensive health care
>supplement provided by the government.
There are Veterans and there are Veterans.
Anyone that served in the military seems to be considered a Veteran
now.
Only military retired Veterans, and a few other classes of Veterans,
are eligible for Tricare For Life.
How to Identify TFL Beneficiaries
Each TFL beneficiary must present a valid uniformed services ID card,
as well as a Medicare card, prior to receiving services.