A recent study published in the Archives of Surgery as reported by the L.A. Times newspaper suggests that patients who visited U.S. trauma centers from 2002 to 2006 found the risk of death was 80% higher for those without any insurance. The study analyzed data from among 700,000 patients across several states to determine the findings.
If this is true then patients who lack health insurance seem to be much more likely to die of car accidents and other traumatic injuries than people who belong to a health plan even though emergency rooms are required to care for all patients regardless of their ability to pay. These findings clearly show that the odds of death after an accidental injury for an uninsured person were close to twice the rate of someone with private insurance.
Although insurance status is not supposed to be a factor for trauma patients, this study shows otherwise. In 1986, Congress enacted the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act which was suppose to guarantee that anyone brought to the emergency room will receive treatment regardless of ability to pay.
What has become abundantly clear is that these uninsured patients were much less likely to be screened for certain cancers and not as likely to be admitted to other specialty treatment facilities for follow up care and along with inadequate follow up procedures after the traumatic accident that they experienced. The cost of going uninsured seems to be much greater than the monthly premium may seem.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, and KY.
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Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
One Comment
Mike Bryant
Yet, another example of why the issue of the health care bill should be about consumers and saving lives. The politics of division that have been used to oppose the discussion of real solutions have done nothing to help those really in need. It's important to continue to get this message out.
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