Institute of Medicine Calls for Universal Health Insurance Coverage by 2010

Via Reuters:   A new report from the Institute of Medicine calls on Congress and the President to develop a comprehensive strategy for universal health insurance coverage by 2010. Dr. Mary Sue Coleman, co-chair of the Institute's committee on uninsurance and president of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, says "There is no justifiable excuse for delay. Further delay will only lead to more uninsured Americans forgoing care, resulting in more costly illnesses and premature deaths."

Earlier reports blamed the widespread lack of coverage for endemic problems in the U.S. health system, from overcrowding in emergency rooms to the potential financial ruin of millions of American families confronting overwhelming out-of-pocked medical costs. Approximately 18,000 deaths annually are attributable to inadequate health care in persons who go without health insurance, according to one study quoted in the final report.

The number of Americans without health coverage has risen steadily each year for the past decade and a half. Approximately 29.5 million Americans lacked coverage in 1987, according to figures from the US Census Bureau. In 2002, the last year for which figures were available, 43.3 million Americans did not have insurance.

Meanwhile, the United States remains the only industrialized nation that does not provide health coverage to all its citizens.

The full report is available here.