Uninsured patients are more likely to die from their trauma injuries after emergency room admittance, according to study findings in Archives of Surgery and reported by HealthDay News.

Researchers examined National Trauma Data Bank records of 687,091 trauma patients admitted to emergency rooms between 2002 and 2006. They found more incidences of death among those without medical coverage, regardless of gender, age and race.

Most trauma treatment occurs before a patient’s insurance status is determined. But researchers question whether differences exist in the process of care received by the uninsured during their hospital stay.

“We can only speculate as to the mechanism of the disparities we have exposed; the true causes are still unclear,” the study authors wrote. “Although the lack of insurance may not be the only explanation for the disparity in trauma mortality, the accidental costs of being uninsured in the United States today may be too high to continue to overlook.”
 
Read about mortality rates for uninsured newborns here.