How does being uninsured harm individuals and families?
• Lack of insurance compromises the health of the uninsured because they receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates than insured individuals (11). • Regardless of age, race, ethnicity, income or health status, uninsured children were much less likely to have received a well-child checkup within the past year. One study shows that nearly 50 percent of uninsured children did not receive a checkup in 2003, almost twice the rate (26 percent) for insured children (12). • The uninsured are increasingly paying “up front” — before services will be rendered. When they are unable to pay the full medical bill in cash at the time of service, they can be turned away except in life-threatening circumstances (7). About 20 percent of the uninsured (vs. 3 percent of those with coverage) say their usual source of care is the emergency room (2). • Studies estimate that the number o
