approx 18,000 people die for lack of health care every year

[G_j]

in the US
according to the film "Waging a Living" shown on the PBS show POV last night --edit: here is the link: http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2006/wagingaliving/

"The term "working poor" should be an oxymoron. If you work full time, you should not be poor, but more than 30 million Americans — one in four workers — are stuck in jobs that do not pay the basics for a decent life. "Waging a Living" chronicles the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to lift their families out of poverty"

on NPR this morning I heard that a million more people have are now without health care just in the last year

what a disgrace

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/healthcare/2002-05-22-insurance-deaths.htm

18,000 deaths blamed on lack of insurance

By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — More than 18,000 adults in the USA die each year because they are uninsured and can't get proper health care, researchers report in a landmark study released Tuesday.

The 193-page report, "Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late," examines the plight of 30 million — one in seven — working-age Americans whose employers don't provide insurance and who don't qualify for government medical care.

About 10 million children lack insurance; elderly Americans are covered by Medicare.

It is the second in a planned series of six reports by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) examining the impact of the nation's fragmented health system. The IOM is a non-profit organization of experts that advises Congress on health issues.

Overall, the researchers say, 18,314 people die in the USA each year because they lack preventive services, a timely diagnosis or appropriate care.

..more..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-poor30.html


46 million Americans lack health insurance

August 30, 2006

BY ANDREW HERRMANN Staff Reporter

A record 46.6 million people in the United States -- nearly 16 percent -- live without medical insurance, including 1.8 million in Illinois, the U.S. Census said Tuesday.

The national figures for 2005 represented a 2.9 percent increase over 2004, as 1.1 million more residents found themselves living without a health care safety net.

Last year marked the fifth straight increase nationally in the number who lack health benefits. Meanwhile, medical expenses rose three times as fast as wages in 2005, researchers say.

..more..

[bluestateguy]

1. That's 6 times more than we lost on 9/11

and every year.

[shain from kane]

2. Do you expect to live forever? I'm surprised it's not hundreds of

thousands more. That's why they call it practicing medicine. Practice, practice, practice.

[ultraist]

3. SHAMEFUL!

In a country that has the resources we have, that is inexcusable.

A disgrace is right!

[madrchsod]

4. i`ll be in the 2006 figures

how many more untill the health care providers start screaming to the congress to get a national health care system? just racked up 14,000 for an overnight stay in icu and a stress test. when i had insurance i paid no more than a hundred dollars for that level of care and now they will get 25 a month till i die...i figured the next big hospital bill i`ll just divorce and that way the hospital can`t take my wifes and kids inheritance.

[G_j]

5. it's a crime!

I'm sorry to hear that

[Solly Mack]

6. free-market dying

you can live if you can afford to pay the price

[G_j]

7. yes, literally

that is exactly what it is

[Karenina]

10. Hi Solly!!! Hi G_j!!!

:hi::loveya::hi:

It's called "reducing the excess population." :kick:

[G_j]

13. Hi Karenina

and Solly too! (I forgot to say hi)

:hi: :loveya: :hi:

yea, survival of the fittest (richest)
name of the game
--and who said RWingers don't believe in Darwin?

[leftchick]

15. Hi G j!!!!

I have missed you! :)

Thank you for another must read post!

:loveya:

[Solly Mack]

18. Hey Karenina! G_j!!!

:hug:

[Reverend_Smitty]

8. They are talking about the health insurance crisis on Franken's show

right now

[LaPera]

9. There is NO health care insurance crisis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If, it's the same 46 million people without health insurance as they said it was almost seven years ago....They've been using that same exact number(46 million)in the 2000 presidential campaign...so if this is the case and it's STILL 46 million....Then there is no larger health insurance crisis than there was seven years ago...if that's the case, then its stabilized at 46 million. Right?

Which of course is complete bullshit!!! How can there still only be 46 million without health care as in the year 2000...under this corporate administration, people losing their benefits every day as well as diminished benefit to the few that have health care insurance.

46 million is a LIE! It's so frustrating hearing this same old 46 million figure being used & tossed around as truth and a measuring gauge, when everyone knows it's much more than 46 million people without health care insurance.

Try about double that under this republican worker hating fascist administration!

Not to mention the many people who have some kind of health care insurance, but pay much more for almost no coverage. Who are being counted as covered.

[InkAddict]

11. We work FT

six to seven weeks at a time!

[shadowknows69]

12. Is there a number to call

so I can make sure my wife and I are counted when our time comes?

[bobbolink]

19. In a clever way, you put your finger on the problem with the number

NOBODY knows how many people are dying each year from lack of health care! Just as there was NO TRACKING of what happened to those who were cut off welfare thanks to Clinton, there is NO ledger kept on the deaths from lack of care.

That figure is a guess, and has been used, now, for a long time. I've been associated with an organization that is working for Universal Health Care, and I know that there are many doctors who now use the figure of 80,000 per year. There are some doctors who argue with that, and say it's twice that, which would be 160,000.

Just like keeping track of the Iraqi deaths, it isn't considered important, so NOBODY knows. What we all can be assured of, is that it's a HUGE and UNNECESSARY number. An IMMORAL number.

[bobbolink]

20. As an addendum, there is NO accurate figure of homeless people, either!

Another segment of the population that is not considered important enough to actually *know* the stats on. Gross stereotypes seem to mollify most people, so we'll never get a "count" or accurate info.

I can say this definitively, because I'm homeless myself, and KNOW I haven't been "counted". There was supposed to be a "census" the end of this month, but when I called the number, I got nothing, so I couldn't "report myself". So, there you have it.

Some people "count", and others -- don't.

[Virginia Dare]

14. I expect this number will go up substantially...

in the coming years, very disturbing.

[LUHiWY]

16. You die if you don't get in...or die if you do?

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2006/aug2006_report_death_01. htm


"Something is wrong when regulatory agencies pretend that vitamins and nutritional supplements are dangerous, yet ignore published statistics showing that government-sanctioned medicine is the real hazard.

Until recently, Life Extension could cite only isolated statistics to make its case about the dangers of conventional medicine. No one had ever analyzed and compiled all of the published literature dealing with injuries and deaths caused by government-protected medicine.

A group of researchers meticulously reviewed the statistical evidence and their findings are absolutely shocking.1-4 These researchers have authored the following article titled “Death by Medicine” that presents compelling evidence that today’s health care system frequently causes more harm than good.

This fully referenced report shows the number of people having in-hospital, adverse reactions to prescribed drugs to be 2.2 million annually. The number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed for viral infections is 20 million per year. The number of unnecessary medical and surgical procedures performed is 7.5 million per year. The number of people exposed to unnecessary hospitalization is 8.9 million per year.

The most stunning statistic, however, is that the total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is nearly 800,000 per year. It is now evident that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the US.

By contrast, the number of deaths attributable to heart disease in 2001 was 699,697, while the number of deaths attributable to cancer was 553,251."

[bobbolink]

17. Deaths should be important, yes?! NOBODY knows how many!

I appreciate you posting this, G_j, as these deaths go on, year after year, relentlessly, with little or no acknowledgement. There's so much said about the war deaths, but who remembers those who died because this nation doesn't care enough to provide health care? It simply isn't on our radar. And, I feel the need to add here that Cindy Sheehan, who up until she said this I cheered and supported, said that "we" shouldn't be putting in effort on Universal Health Care, because "we" all needed to focus on ending the war. I couldn't even believe that. So, all the people who die in this country from lack of health care,... well, just too bad for them--all that matters is the war. I had to hear repeats of that a number of times before I could really *get* that she actually said that.

So, the deaths will go on, because it's not as "important".

Until, maybe, it happens to someone you know...?

That wasn't what I intended to write when I started this, but it still hurts that she said that, and I think it's time to talk honestly about where "we" (as liberals) are on death. Is it only *some* deaths that matter? Can we multitask and care about *all* people?

I realize that there will be those who insist that I'm "demonizing" Cindy, and trash me. It wouldn't be DU without that. Reasonable people, however, will read my words and realize that I supported her, and was stunned that she said this.

So, what deaths *are* important??