Most Americans Without Health Insurance Have Chronic Diseases

According to the study,the detailed look at the health of the uninsured Americans estimate that about one of every three working-age adults without insurance in the United States has received a diagnosis of a chronic illness.
The study reveals that the majority of these people don't have doctors and simply rely on emergency rooms for their medical care.

The study , based on an analysis of government health surveys of adults ages 18 to 64 years old, estimated that about 11 million of the 36 million people without insurance in 2004 had been diagonalized with a chronic-condition.
Dr. Andrew P. Wilper, the study’s lead author says that “These are people who, with modern therapies, can be kept out of trouble.”

Dr. Wilper, a medical instructor at the University of Washington in Seattle said that Therapies for someone with diabetes and hypertension “are routine and widely available, if you have insurance.”

Government estimates the number of people without health insurance to be 47 million, which means that if the proportions found in the study have remained constant, there might be nearly 16 million people in this country with a chronic condition but no insurance to pay for medical care.

According to the study,almost a quarter of the uninsured with a chronic illness who were surveyed said they had not visited a health professional within the last year. Only 7 percent said they only went to a hospital emergency room for care.

Source The New York Times