Tuesday, 3 July 2007
1.8 Million Veterans Living Without Health Insurance
A study conducted by Harvard Medical School Professor Dr. Stephanie J. Woolhandler found the number of uninsured veterans has risen to roughly 1.8 million. Since 2000, an additional 290,000 veterans have gone without insurance.
Dr. Woolhandler’s study was based upon national surveys from Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and the Department of Health and Human Service’s National Health Interview Survey.
Dr. Woolhandler recently presented her findings to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, advocating change in the U.S. healthcare system to provide veterans with necessary medical care.
More and more veterans are returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq with mental and physical illnesses that are in need of treatment. But because they don’t have insurance, they are unable to afford their medical bills.
“The data is showing that many veterans have no coverage and they’re sick and need care and can’t get it,” explained Dr. Woolhandler.
Dr. Woolhandler has witnessed veterans who have gone untreated for illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Former members of the Armed Services are supposed to have access to care from Veterans Affairs — but there are barriers that prevent them from getting treatment. For example, many veterans live too far from VA medical facilities.
“It breaks my heart. The VA should be an important safety net for my patients, and it’s not,” Dr. Woolhandler said.
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