Cincinnati study finds uninsured babies four times more likely to die from abuse

New research from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center found that babies without private health insurance were almost four times more likely to die from abuse-related injuries than babies who were covered (Source: “Insurance coverage studied in child-abuse death cases,” Cincinnati Enquirer, Oct. 13, 2008).

Additionally, the study found that the risk of death was higher for babies from poorer ZIP codes than for those from wealthier neighborhoods, researchers found.

"We'd like to think that everyone with the same problems gets the same care and the same results,” said Richard Falcone, a pediatric surgeon and assistant director of trauma services at Cincinnati Children's. "But we know from other aspects of health-care that that's not the case. We can tell that it's not just the severity of their injuries that affect the outcome, but their income and their insurance status."