The danger of not having health insurance

  Two new studies demonstrate even more forcefully that not having health insurance has a dramatic impact on health and wellness.  The studies were published by the influential Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and Harvard Medical School, and by the American Cancer Society.  Together they documented that because they cannot afford appropriate screeing  and effective treatment, uninsured Americans have significantly poorer outcomes from cancer, coronary artery disease, and diabetes.   The Harvard/JAMA study correlated the health of uninsured near-retirees with insured near-retirees and with elderly Americans who have universal coverage through Medicare.  The decline in health of uninsured Americans as they approached retirement showed dramatic improvement when universal coverage became available to them.