Research indicates lack of health insurance coverage led to over 25,000 deaths in the U.S.

In October 2020, researchers from the City University of New York's Hunter College and Harvard Medical School analyzed information gathered by the federal government regarding health insurance coverage in the United States. The researchers discovered that the number of Americans with health insurance decreased by approximately 2.3 million between 2016 - 2019. The decrease in the number of uninsured Americans led to as many as 25,180 deaths. Researchers estimate that if more Americans cannot gain access to health insurance, then the number of deaths caused by lack of health insurance coverage could triple in the United States.

"Gutting the Affordable Care Act would throw another 19.9 million Americans off of insurance, and cause up to 68,345 extra deaths each year. We need to expand insurance, not shrink it. With 30 million uninsured today, we could save thousands of lives by achieving universal coverage," says Dr. Adam Gaffney a Harvard Medical School physician and lead author of the study. 

According to Families USA, uninsured people typically are not as healthy and die sooner than people with health insurance. Lack of health insurance is the 3rd leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 55 - 64.

Sources:

"Decrease in US health insurance coverage led to 25,180 deaths," October 29, 2020. Open Access Government. Decrease in US health insurance coverage led to 25,180 deaths (openaccessgovernment.org)

More than 26 000 Americans die each year because of lack of health insurance (nih.gov)

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