Uninsured Trauma Patients Less Likely to Survive

A recent study shows that patients without insurance are less likely to survive a trauma than patients with insurance. According to Medpage Today, uninsured trauma patients were an astounding 50% less likely to recover. This was true regardless of the patient's race or ethnicity. More research must be done to find out why there is such a strong link between insurance and survival rates, but some factors that may contribute to this finding are the fact that the insured are more likely to seek care immediately, and are able to transfer to rehab facilities more expeditiously than the uninsured.

The study also showed that minorities were also less likely to survive a trauma. African Americans were 17% more likely to die, and Hispanics were 47% more likely to die following a trauma.