Uninsured 40% more likely to Die

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/lack-health-insurance-raises-death-risk/story?id=8606408

As mentioned in the above article those uninsured in the United States have a 40% higher death rate should they have a health problem than the insured.

Though obviously I didn't die I experienced what it is like to be a business owner who cannot afford health insurance in the early 90's. One night I thought I was having a heart attack and my arms and legs wouldn't work right. Since I couldn't walk I crawled to the bathtub so that I could die in peace in a warm bath. My wife couldn't understand what was happening so she called my stepson who at that time was an EMT and fireman. Eventually, after about 1 hour I was able to convince my wife to take me to the hospital where they diagnosed what had happened as a panic attack. However, I knew I was having some sort of problem with my heart.

At that time I went to many heart specialists in the hope they would treat me. However, they all refused because I didn't have health insurance. I was very despondent about this. Within a year my then wife and I of 15 years divorced. Within another year I remarried and continued working. Three years later I got a heart virus but by this time I had health insurance so I didn't die. If I had had a heart virus without health insurance likely I would be dead now. Restructuring my life which as a bi-product allowed me to have health insurance saved my life and I am still alive because of it over 10 years later.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090918/hl_nm/us_usa_healthcare_deaths

The previous web address mentions that 45,000 people die each year (1 every 12 minutes) because they don't have health insurance in the U.S.