Government
Veterans' deaths linked to lack of health insurance
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 23, 2009
More than 2,200 U.S. veterans died in 2008 because they were uninsured and had reduced access to health care, according to a team of Harvard Medical School researchers. Overall, there were nearly 1.5 million uninsured veterans between the ages of 18 and 64 in 2008, an estimate based on U.S. Census Bureau figures. The Harvard team classified veterans as uninsured if they had neither private insurance nor access to care at Dept. of Veterans Affairs facilities.
The team also found that veterans are more likely to be uninsured and to die because of the lack of coverage. While less than 1% of vets between 18 and 24 years old are uninsured, more than 10% of those between 55 and 64 years lack health coverage.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/11/23/gvbf1123.htm.
