Health insurance reform does matter

That seems obvious. But reminders of the obvious kind come in handy. These reminders are imperative in a conversation like we have about health care reform, health insurance reform.

The Health Care Blog shares a personal story that covers all the points of why health insurance reform is necessary. The post is Why health insurance reform matters.

Read it.

Then consider some of the numbers in our health insurance, healthcare system, that need reforming:

45 million uninsured Americans. 45 million Americans now cannot afford health insurance. Consider the story of this one individual. Then multiply it by 45 million.

Hyperbolic? perhaps. But would it feel better if you multiplied by...1 million?

Another 6.9 million to be uninsured in 2010. Health Affairs predicts another 6.9 million Americans will lose their health insurance during this recession. The loss will arise from either unemployment or the rising costs of health insurance plans. Or both.

45,000 unnecessary deaths. A recent study conducted by Harvard Medical School reports that Nearly 45,000 annual deaths are associated with lack of health insurance.

45,000. Per year.

45,000 of our friends and neighbors die each year because health insurance is too expensive for them. Without health insurance preventative healthcare, including checkups and prescriptions and treatments remain out of reach until the demand is undeniable.

45,000. Per year. Die. As a result.

Said Dr. Andre Wilper, one of the authors of the study: We doctors have many new ways to prevent deaths from hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease — but only if patients can get into our offices and afford their medications. 45,000 Americans per year die because they can’t.

The .1% effect. If 45 million Americans are without health insurance, and 45,000 Americans die from health insurance being unaffordable. Then .1% of the uninsured will die each year from health insurance being unaffordable.

If another 6.9 million Americans will lose their health insurance in 2010, then we can project another 6,900 Americans will lose their life because health insurance remains unaffordable.

Now, it's 51,900 (45,000 + 6,900) of our friends and neighbors will lose their lives without affordable health insurance.