Comments on: How Many People Die From Lack of Health Insurance? http://www.daveburris.com/how-many-people-die-from-lack-of-health-insurance/ digital media | small business | delaware Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:57:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: anonone http://www.daveburris.com/how-many-people-die-from-lack-of-health-insurance/comment-page-1/#comment-4501 anonone Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:39:50 +0000 http://www.daveburris.com/?p=2062#comment-4501 It really isn't hard to square. People on Medicare and Medicaid are in populations associated with higher mortality rates. Old people tend to die more often than young people. Did you know that on average people with smaller hands tend to live longer than people with larger hands? True fact. Think about it. It really isn’t hard to square. People on Medicare and Medicaid are in populations associated with higher mortality rates. Old people tend to die more often than young people.

Did you know that on average people with smaller hands tend to live longer than people with larger hands? True fact. Think about it.

]]> By: Dave http://www.daveburris.com/how-many-people-die-from-lack-of-health-insurance/comment-page-1/#comment-4499 Dave Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:28:45 +0000 http://www.daveburris.com/?p=2062#comment-4499 I said " but even that is hard to square." I said ” but even that is hard to square.”

]]> By: anonone http://www.daveburris.com/how-many-people-die-from-lack-of-health-insurance/comment-page-1/#comment-4498 anonone Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:26:43 +0000 http://www.daveburris.com/?p=2062#comment-4498 BREAKING NEWS FROM DAVE: Older people die at a higher rate than younger people!!!!! Once again, you highlight a part of an article that is essentially discounted by the rest of it. As McArdle goes on to say: "But how likely is it that Medicaid is killing people? Possible, I suppose, but not really all that likely. Medicaid and Medicare patients, too, are not like the broader population. The authors in fact recognized this fact in their paper, pointing out that these patients have higher rates of disability--but then failed to address the obvious question this raised about their data on the uninsured." So her point isn't that "the highest mortality was not associated with being uninsured, but being on a government health care program" but that results like these show that these types of studies are fraught with sampling and statistical problems. But, in spite of your out-of-context emphasis, it is an excellent article and thanks for blogging on it. BREAKING NEWS FROM DAVE: Older people die at a higher rate than younger people!!!!!

Once again, you highlight a part of an article that is essentially discounted by the rest of it. As McArdle goes on to say:

“But how likely is it that Medicaid is killing people? Possible, I suppose, but not really all that likely. Medicaid and Medicare patients, too, are not like the broader population. The authors in fact recognized this fact in their paper, pointing out that these patients have higher rates of disability–but then failed to address the obvious question this raised about their data on the uninsured.”

So her point isn’t that “the highest mortality was not associated with being uninsured, but being on a government health care program” but that results like these show that these types of studies are fraught with sampling and statistical problems.

But, in spite of your out-of-context emphasis, it is an excellent article and thanks for blogging on it.

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