This Can Kill You

As a physician and Physician Executive with 40 years in service supporting the patient, I share a passion and concern about the fate of health care in this country. Per a United States Congressman: ‘Nobody dies because they don’t have access to healthcare.’ The data proves otherwise: there is a real potential for people dying. We present facts and evidence based suggestions for health care reform.
So, at the end of the day we have a statement of belief held by a United States Congressman. ‘Nobody dies because they don’t have access to healthcare.’ How does a board certified pediatrician, Retired Colonel turned Physician Executive view Health Care in America in Transition? The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has become a house of cards as far as it’s future impact on the Health Care “System” as it is currently under the threat of repeal and replacement with the House Of Representatives recent vote. And just what happened when the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the potential consequence?. Essentially the real potential for loss of health care, the diminution of the benefits covered, and the price increase for insurance. Oh, yes. And the real potential for people dying because of lack of healthcare.
Reviewing the literature documents the real connection between lack of access to healthcare and the impact on mortality.
Medicaid-The largest drop is from changes to Medicaid; the American Health Care Plan would cut the program by 14 million people by 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
"Mortality and Access to Care among Adults after State Medicaid Expansions"-published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012 analyzed the effects of Medicaid expansion on adult mortality in several states and found a connection between access to Medicaid and reduced mortality. The exact figure was a 6.1% reduction in mortality.
EMPLOYER PROVIDED HEALTH CARE
Another 7 million people who currently have insurance through their employer would drop that coverage if the individual mandate - which currently requires that most people have coverage or pay a penalty at tax time - goes away, as it would under the AHCA.
INDIVIDUAL MARKETPLACE
Still more people would lose insurance from the changes to subsidies, which help people pay monthly premiums in the individual market
UNTOWARD DOWNSTREAM IMPACT- What about the impact of Patient Compliance? What about the impact of chronically underserved Mental Health? What about the impact of the UNDERINSURED? Where is the Return On Investment?
TOTAL AT RISK POPULATION -based on literature review to include mortality data
271,437 deaths per year from health related causes. If six percent die from lack of healthcare insurance-16,558 Americans could die from being UNINSURED or UNDERINSUED each year.