Having health insurance makes it less likely that you’ll suffer sudden cardiac arrest, according to a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Health Association.
Researchers with Oregon Health & Science University looked at emergency medical services in Multnomah County — before and after Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act.
They found that for middle aged people, the incidence of cardiac arrest decreased 17 percent after they got insurance.
Lead author Dr. Eric Stecker, associate professor of Cardiology at Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cardiovascular Institute, said insurance allows people to get regular medical care, which in turn helps prevent cardiovascular disease.
“You know many times people will have what could be serious warning symptoms of otherwise undetected cardiac disease," he said. "And if they don’t have access to health insurance, they don’t come to a doctor to have them investigated and to get diagnosed and get appropriately treated.”
The study comes out as Senate Republicans try to replace the Affordable Care Act. Their new bill would take insurance away from about 22 million Americans over 10 years — but it would also save the government $320 billion.
Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting
