NEWS FLASH

26,000 Uninsured Americans Died Prematurely In 2010 Because They Lacked Health Care | About 26,100 people between 25 and 64 died prematurely in the U.S. in 2010 because they lacked health insurance, according to a report by Families USA. That estimate is up from 20,350 in 2005 and 18,000 in 2000. The group based its findings on government data and a 2002 Institute of Medicine showing that people without health coverage face a 25 percent higher risk of dying than those with insurance. Ahead of the Supreme Court ruling about President Obama’s health care reform law, which expands affordable health care to millions of Americans, Families USA Executive Director Ron Pollack said the report underlines that “lives are truly on the line.”