Health Care Study: 3 Minnesotans Die Per Week Due to Lack of Health Insurance
The urgent need for major health care reform was reinforced today by the news that three working-age Minnesotans die per week because they don't have health insurance according to a recently released Families USA study.
The study, Dying for Coverage in Minnesota, details that working-age people without health insurance have shorter life expectancies than working-age people with health insurance. Those without life insurance are diagnosed with serious medical condition when the problem has severely advanced. For example, uninsured women are far more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer than women with insurance.
A link to the study can be found here: http://familiesusa.org
Right now, over 450,000 Minnesotans still do not have health insurance. And cost is at the root of the problem. We must address health care costs for everyone-- for those with coverage and for those without. We must do this for our individual financial well being and for Minnesota's economic future. Many important health care reforms are being discussed at the Capitol this session, and I am hopeful we can pass legislation that moves us toward our goal of quality health care for every Minnesotan.
