Medicaid saves lives, Exhibit 1,863

Evidence that having health insurance coverage will, indirectly, lower mortality has existed for some time.  Early, robust evidence began with the Rand Health Insurance Experiment that indicated insurance could affect the precursors of mortality.  This has been bolstered by a host of other articles since:

• Health Insurance and Mortality: Evidence From a National Cohort
• Health Insurance and Mortality in US Adults
• The Relationship of Health Insurance and Mortality: Is Lack of Insurance Deadly?
• Health Insurance Coverage And Mortality Among The Near-Elderly
• Insurance Coverage Predicts Mortality in Patients Transferred Between Hospitals: a Cross-Sectional Study

More recently, evidence has been emerging that Medicaid coverage, specifically, has a positive impact upon mortality:

• Medicaid Expansion Linked to Lower Maternal Mortality Rates
• Medicaid Expansion Fills Gaps in Maternal Health Coverage Leading to Healthier Mothers and Babies
• Association of Medicaid Expansion With Cardiovascular Mortality

A recent article published in JAMA further examines this, finding Medicaid eligibility expansion is associated with a reduction in deaths from substance abuse.

So, in all, you can see where Medicaid, a program for those who are the most vulnerable, has been shown to be effective in many ways, including savings lives (women, children, and all).

Tell me, why aren't we expanding this again?