Uninsured Children Admitted To Hospitals Are Twice As Likely To Die As Insured Children, According To Families USA Study
Uninsured children admitted to hospitals with general injuries were twice as likely to die and 44% less likely to receive rehabilitative services than insured children;
Uninsured children with traumatic brain injuries were 32% less likely to receive intracranial pressure monitoring and were discharged after an average of five days, compared with eight days for insured children;
Uninsured children with appendicitis were 18% less likely to receive a more costly laparoscopic appendectomy; and
Uninsured children with middle ear infections were 57% less likely to undergo a surgical procedure to insert ear tubes.
Tilford said, "It's a pattern," adding, "You look at stuff by insurance status -- boy, you find differences." Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack said, "The clear implication ... is that when kids get sick or hurt, insurance matters," adding, "As is true throughout our health care system, children without health insurance receive less and inferior care." Families USA this week sent the report to a number of congressional committees that are considering health care issues, including the reauthorization of SCHIP. Reaction
The Federation of American Hospitals and the American Hospital Association disputed the methodology used in the study, saying that researchers failed to take into account the types of hospitals, clinical decisions and details on individual patients. They also noted that the sample size was small and that the study was not peer-reviewed, according to USA Today. FAH President Chip Kahn said, "I consider the study irresponsible because it is not sufficiently thorough," adding, "I'm worried that this will get people to focus on hospitals, rather than the kids." AHA spokesperson Molly Collins Offner said that hospitals are "the last resort of care," adding, "They're clearly covering patients who need care and can't afford to pay it" (Wolf, USA Today, 3/2).
The report is available online. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the report.
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Neasigurate admise la spitale de copii sunt de douã ori mai probabil sã mori ca asigurat copii, în funcþie de familii de studiu SUA - Uninsured Children Admitted To Hospitals Are Twice As Likely To Die As Insured Children, According To Families USA Study - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate