Uninsured Trauma Patients Likely To Die

We have known for quite a while that people without insurance have a greater chance of dying than those who have insurance. Those without insurance are less likely to be screened for many cancers or admitted to a hospital for procedures like heart bypass surgery. In addition, many people without insurance have to put off going to the doctor, and by the time they do go it may be too late for a cure.

It has been estimated that at least 18,000 people die each year because they don't have insurance. But things are supposed to be different for trauma patients. After all Congress passed a law in 1986, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, which is supposed to guarantee that trauma patients brought to emergency rooms get the treatment they need regardless of whether they have insurance or not.

At least, that's the way it's supposed to work. But something is wrong with that concept, because a new study by researchers from Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston shows the uninsured trauma patients have a much greater chance of dying. Their study used information from the National Trauma Data Bank (which receives it's info from 1,154 U.S. hospitals).

The study found that people enrolled in private health insurance plans, health maintenance organizations or Medicaid had about an equal chance of survival after being taken to the emergency room for trauma. Medicare patients had a 56% higher chance of dying than those in the first three groups. This is probably because it contains only those 65 or older, who have a much larger chance of already having some kind of chronic illness.

But the real shock comes with the uninsured trauma patients. Although they are supposedly receiving equal trauma treatment, they actually have an 80% higher risk of death than patients with some kind of health insurance. That's an incredibly huge difference in risk of death.

Thinking this might have something to do with these patients having more chronic illnesses, they decided to look at only those trauma patients between the ages of 18 and 30. They reasoned that since this group was far less likely to have a chronic illness, the risk of death would probably be much lower. They were wrong. The younger group actually had an 89% higher risk of death than those of the same age group who had insurance.

What is happening? Are the emergency room doctors ignoring the 1986 law? Not knowingly. These doctors were as shocked as anyone by the risk figures. They were convinced that they were giving everyone equal treatment. I hope they are right, because otherwise it would show a real callous attitude toward those without insurance.

No one really knows why the uninsured have such a greater chance of dying. Some think it's regarding treatment received after the patient leaves the emergency room. The uninsured are not as carefully screened for other illnesses, and they receive less expensive tests like MRIs and CAT scans. Others believe those without insurance are those with less money, and therefore live in more dangerous areas or lead more dangerous lives.

Whatever the reason, it is a fact that the uninsured have a much greater chance of dying when taken to the emergency room for a trauma -- and that is unacceptable. This just reinforces the critical need to cover all American citizens with health insurance.

Failure to institute universal health insurance coverage just shows a horrid disregard for the lives of our fellow Americans. Working for low wages should not be tantamount to a death sentence.