Mandatory Healthcare Coverage Saves Lives, Researchers Say

Researchers are saying that mandatory healthcare coverage, much like the Affordable Healthcare Act -- also known as "Obama-Care," saves lives, according to a study on the impact of the 2006 Massachusetts healthcare reform.

According to the study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the annual death rate in Massachusetts dropped significantly soon after mandatory health care coverage was adopted in 2006.

The Massachusetts healthcare law was the first state-wide experiment with universal health coverage, and ensured that even the poorest of Massachusetts citizens had access to healthcare services and coverage when they needed it. The 2006 law even served as a "model for crucial parts of President Obama's health care law" -- the Affordable Healthcare Act -- according to The New York Times.

According to the study, researchers analyzed death rates, causes of death, and economic situations of the deceased between 2001 and 2010. They quickly found that the mortality rate fell by an estimated three percent after 2006. Predictably, the decline in death prevalence was steepest among poorer Massachusetts citizens, showing that having sudden access to healthcare coverage allowed them to receive the life-saving medical treatment that they had been needing. This trend remained constant even after the researcher accounted for possible changes in poor demographic morality rates across the country.

According to the researchers, if these findings reflect what is occurring with the enactment of the Affordable Healthcare Act, the U.S. should see 17,000 fewer deaths each year.

Still it will take some time before analysts have enough data to verify this study's claim. After all, the study, which assed data from 2006 to 2010, was only finally released this past Monday.

It will be another four years at least before we will have enough data to assess the impact the President's new healthcare act has on the county's rate of mortality.

The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, an American College of Physician's publication, on May 6.