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What do people do for health care when they do not have health insurance?

In: Health, Insurance, Medical Insurance, Barack Obama, Healthcare Reform [Edit categories]

Answer:

Go to the ER, where by law, they may NOT be refused care, even if illegally here.

Most go without needed care, and many are dying as a result. According to a Harvard study, 45,000 Americans die each year due to a lack of health care insurance.

See the link below to a Reuters news report from Sept. 2009 about a Harvard study that links one death every twelve minutes directly to the lack of health care insurance and quality health care. According to Reuters:

The Harvard study, funded by a federal research grant, was published in the online edition of the American Journal of Public Health. It was released by Physicians for a National Health Program, which favors government-backed or "single-payer" health insurance.

"We're losing more Americans every day because of inaction ... than drunk driving and homicide combined," Dr. David Himmelstein, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard, said in an interview with Reuters.

First answer by MontanaMom. Last edit by D4est. Contributor trust: 1252 [recommend contributor ]. Question popularity: 4 [recommend question].

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Reuters: Harvard Study links 45,000 deaths a yr in US to lack of health insurance

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