Oct 30, 2009 4:31 pm US/Eastern
Health Care Concerns Grow For Uninsured Children
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Health insurance could be the difference between life or death for a child.
CBS
Health insurance could be the difference between life or death for a child.
Andrea Fujii explains that's the conclusion of a Johns Hopkins study that found children without insurance are 60 percent more likely to die in a hospital than those with it.
Two-year-old Elmison Rodas was supposed to get a flu shot at a Baltimore City clinic, but was denied because he has eczema.
He's not being treated for the disorder because he's uninsured.
"Too expensive. Very, very expensive," said Francisca Rodas, mother.
A new Johns Hopkins study finds the lack of preventative care is fueling unnecessary young deaths.
"People are avoiding getting care because they don't want to face economic cost, and you can't blame anyone for that," said Dr. Fizan Abdullah, assistant professor.
Dr. Abdullah participated in the study which analyzed 23 million hospital records from 37 different states in the past 18 years. They found that uninsured children were 60 percent more likely to die in the hospital than kids with insurance.
"The children they came to the hospital with more severe illness, and it was almost as if they hospital didn't have an opportunity to provide before that child died," said Dr. Abdullah.
Studies show there are more than 7 million children without health insurance in the country. Some doctors say more than 1,000 kids are dying because of it every year.
Dr. Abdullah says the study's findings are a conservative estimate, and the mortality rate could be much higher.
Elminson left the clinic without a flu shot, so he remains at risk for the virus, and his eczema will worsen.
His mom knows having insurance could solve it all.
"I don't know what to do," said Francisca.
Last month a Harvard study concluded that about 45,000 Americans may die each year due to lack of health insurance.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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