Articles

by Holly Clegg

Healthcare has always been an important thrust area in the national politics of the United States and much debate goes on regarding the Universal Healthcare Policy of the government. Surveys are conducted regularly to judge whether this comprehensive health insurance plan is a real boon to the U.S. citizen or not.

A recent survey, for instance, has suggested that the Universal Health Insurance Policy might not save as many adult lives as expected. It seems to contradict earlier optimistic declarations by the Institute of Medicine, an august and influential medical institution, that the adult mortality rate in U.S. could be significantly lowered if the uninsured were brought under an insurance umbrella.

The 2002 findings by the Institute of Medicine estimated that approximately 18,000 adults would survive annually if they had access to healthcare policies. This figure was revised to an upbeat 22,000 in the year 2006.
 
However, these promising expectations are now countered by Richard Kronick, the former Healthcare Advisor to President Clinton. In the medical journal Health Services Research, he claims that the number of lives saved by the Universal Healthcare Policy would be substantially lower than the 2002 forecast of 18,000, if not near zero.
According to Kronick, a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California at San Diego, the adult mortality rate in United States will remain unaffected even if the Universal Health Policy is enforced.

Kronick bases his claims on a sampling of people who had responded to various healthcare surveys between 1986 and 2000; he directed researchers to follow them from 2002. Kronick claims he did a thorough survey taking into account factors such as income and health status before coming to his doom and gloom conclusion.

In response, Willard Manning, professor of Health Studies at the University of Chicago, who conducted the original survey on behalf of the Institute of Medicine, has defended his earlier claim. According to Manning, statistics can be looked from multiple angles and can lead to contradictory results. According to him, Kronick had adopted an entirely different methodology to account for high-risk patients. Manning still believes that with a universal cover from Health Insurance Providers, the adult mortality rate can be brought down. He opined logically that the sick who cannot afford treatment due to lack of adequate coverage, are more vulnerable to death.

Manning was supported by Christine Stencel, Spokesperson for the Institute of Medicine. She said that the authors and researchers of the 2002 report had weighed all findings carefully before making their report public. According to Christine, a conclusion can be drawn without the scope of any arguments.

Lack of health coverage is undoubtedly a hazard. This can lead to many complications – premature illness and even death.

For a more detailed review of Universal Healthcare Insurance Policy and its effects on US Healthcare system, you can visit HBConnection.com

This article expires on August 12, 2014