Many uninsured kids have parents with insurance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 2 million children in the United States who have no health insurance of any kind have at least one parent who gets employer-provided medical coverage, researchers said on Tuesday.

These parents typically get insurance through work that covers them but cannot afford the extra thousands of dollars that may be needed for a plan that also covers their children, the researchers wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"I think there's been a myth that all uninsured children have uninsured parents, and so if we cover the parents we can cover the kids," Dr. Jennifer DeVoe of Oregon Health & Science University, who led the study, said in an interview.

"In most cases the parents have insurance through work at reduced rate or no cost, but adding their family is unaffordable," DeVoe added.

The Census Bureau said in August 8.1 million, or 11 percent, of children under 18 had no health insurance in 2007.

The researchers calculated that about 28 percent of these uninsured children -- or about 2.3 million -- had at least one parent with health insurance. Most are from low- or middle-income families, DeVoe said.

The high cost of health care and medical insurance and the large numbers of Americans who remain uninsured have been key issues in the U.S. presidential campaign this year.

The study found that children of single parents and children in Hispanic families were more likely than others to lack health insurance even if a parent is covered. It was also more likely in the South and West.

The study was based on data from 2002 to 2005 released by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Carolyn Clancy, who heads the agency, said some of these uninsured children likely qualify for public coverage, but their parents may not be aware of their eligibility.

DeVoe said a short-term approach to address the problem would be to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program that provides public coverage for certain children in low- and moderate-income families.

President George W. Bush twice has vetoed bills that would have expanded the program.

The Census Bureau said 15.3 percent of Americans overall had no health insurance in 2007, meaning 45.7 million were uninsured in a country of about 300 million people.

Source:http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews

Insurance firm won't cover deaths

A medical malpractice insurance company claims it does not have to pay any damages that may be awarded to the families of deceased former patients of a Murray doctor charged in their deaths.
In court documents filed Tuesday, the Utah Medical Insurance Association argues its insurance policy issued to Dr. Warren R. Stack does not cover the deaths of patients Brandon Scott or Thaison Roark.
Stack, 61, is accused of illegally prescribing painkillers to as many as 80 people a day, leading to the deaths of at least five. He was indicted last year on 18 criminal counts, including conspiracy, dispensing drugs outside the bounds of medical practice resulting in death, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance and health care fraud.
One of Stack's employees has pleaded guilty to conspiracy in the case and agreed to testify against Stack in federal court, the association stated.
Stack's insurance policy excludes coverage for acts that violate the law, the association wrote. That means it does not cover the deaths of Scott or Roark, whose families have sued Stack.
Scott was 34 when he died in 2005. Roark died in 2006 at age 20. Court documents state that drugs prescribed by Stack also led to the deaths of Tyler Lugo, 24; Kaydie Winters, 25; and Michael W. Barker, 50.


Source:http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10674569