Harvard study: 45,000 deaths linked to lack of insurance

"Nearly 45,000 people die each year due to a lack of health insurance, with 3,925 of those deaths occurring in Florida, according to a study published on Thursday in the online edition of the American Journal of Public Health."

"The study, carried out by Harvard researchers and funded by a research grant, found that uninsured, working-age Americans have a 40 percent higher risk of death than their privately insured counterparts, up from 25 percent in 1993."

"The study was released by Physicians for a National Health Program, an organization that favors a single-payer system. It takes into account socioeconomics, health behaviors and baseline health. The bottom line is that the uninsured are more likely to go without the kind of care that can save their life."