WI Advocates Fear Kids are Dying for Insurance
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November 5, 2009
MADISON, Wisc. - Supporters of universal health coverage in Wisconsin are calling the results of a new Johns Hopkins study of hospital records "shocking." The study found that uninsured children were 60-percent more-likely to die after being admitted.
Robert Kraig, program director for Citizen Action of Wisconsin, has been a vocal advocate for universal coverage. He says the Johns Hopkins study examined records from 1988 to 2005, and the situation in Wisconsin is far worse now.
"Seventy-seven thousand more people in Wisconsin are now uninsured because of the economy, because they've lost their job."
Kraig says the current system puts entire families at risk when the economy sours.
"When people lose their jobs, oftentimes if it's a good job with health care, the whole family loses it's health insurance."
Numbers like those highlighted in the Hopkins' study demonstrate the need to take action, he adds.
"I think the 60 percent number is a shocking number. It's not entirely surprising given that kids who are uninsured or any individual is likely to be much sicker once they're admitted if they're uninsured."
Those who oppose universal coverage say it would limit choice and lead to diminished care.
The study author says it's a little tricky to determine why uninsured children are more likely to die, but Kraig and groups such as the National Association of Social Workers in Wisconsin say those who are uninsured often delay seeking medical care, making it more likely that a health problem will become a crisis.