Where You Live Effects How Long You LiveJune, 2007
The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation focused on health care, released a study this week that shows how where you live, and what kind of
health insurance plan you have, may well determine how long you live, and how healthy you are while you're living.
U.S. states were rated according to their medical coverage, and based on 32 indicators, including access, quality, cost, insurance, preventive care, potentially avoidable hospital visits, and premature death (death before age 75). The results reveal that residents of the lowest ranking 5 states die prematurely at a rate twice that of those in the top 5 states.
South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi were at the very bottom, and not surprisingly, there are fewer residents in those states who can afford a good health insurance plan. According to
USA Today, "The highest-ranked states often have policies designed to improve access to health insurance," while the lowest rated states have high levels of uninsured people and restrictive limits on who is eligible for state-sponsored care.
Facts on:
Your Health Insurance Plan
Did you know...
Residents of the lowest ranking 5 states die prematurely?
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Statistically, if all states equaled the top-rated states, there would be 90,000 fewer premature deaths before age 75 from conditions such as diabetes, infection, respiratory disease, and treatable cancers. In addition, 22 million more adults and children would be insured, cutting U.S. uninsured rates in half. But sadly, cost appears to be the most deadly barrier to quality health care.
The best thing anyone can do is to make sure they have a health insurance plan that covers basic wellness checkups. These kinds of checkups are thought to be the key to avoiding premature death from preventable disease, since regular meetings with doctors and nurses often provide patients with the knowledge and tools they need to make important lifestyle changes.
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