Thursday, 26 April 2007
Study Finds Risk of Stroke Linked to Lack of Insurance
A study in the Journal of the Society of General Internal Medicine has found that people without health insurance have a greater risk of stroke.
The link of health insurance and stroke is preventive care. People that do not have health insurance are much less likely to receive routine check-ups and physicals. As a result, they may not be properly treated for risk factors that can lead to a stroke, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
According to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, the national average cost for doctor’s office visits without insurance is $60.
“Hypertension [high blood pressure] is the most powerful risk factor for stroke, and in our study we found that hypertension was significantly less likely to be well controlled in those lacking insurance,“ said Harvard Medical School instructor, Angela Fowler-Brown, MD, MPH.
“We believe that our findings underscore the great importance of medical insurance in maintaining the health of the population,” Dr. Fowler Brown added. “As medical science continues to advance, we fear that the health disparities between those who have access to medical care through insurance and those who do not, may continue to grow.”
The study was conducted using a database of 15,792 people.
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