How does being uninsured harm individuals and families?

Lack of insurance compromises the health of the uninsured because they receive less preventive care, are diagnosed at more advanced disease stages, and once diagnosed, tend to receive less therapeutic care and have higher mortality rates than insured individuals (8).
Regardless of age, race, ethnicity, income or health status, uninsured children were much less likely to have received a well-child checkup within the past year. One study shows that nearly 50 percent of uninsured children did not receive a checkup in 2003, almost twice the rate (26 percent) for insured children (9).
Over one-third of uninsured adults say they did not fill a drug prescription in 2003 and over a third went without a recommended medical test or treatment due to cost (4).
The uninsured are increasingly paying "up front" -- before services will be rendered. When they are unable to pay the full medical bill in cash at the time of service, they can be turned away except in life-threatening circumstances (3).
About 20 percent of the uninsured (vs. 3 percent of those with coverage) say their usual source of care is the emergency room (3).
Studies estimate that the number of excess deaths among uninsured adults age 25-64 is in the range of 18,000 a year. This mortality figure is similar to the 17,500 deaths from diabetes within the same age group (7).
According to one study, over a third of the uninsured have problems paying medical bills. The unpaid bills were substantial enough that many had been turned over to collection agencies - and nearly a quarter of the uninsured adults said they had changed their way of life significantly to pay medical bills (10).
Increasingly, the uninsured are more likely to be hospitalized for an "avoidable condition" - problems that could have been prevented had a person received appropriate and timely outpatient care (10).