Uninsured young males with gunshot wounds are costing us a fortune

[MillCreek]

http://www.urban.org/publications/413210.html

Do read the full article PDF at the link.

From the summary:

Healthcare data from six states--Arizona, California, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Wisconsin--show that hospital use for firearm-assault injury is disproportionately concentrated among young males, particularly young black males. Additionally, uninsured victims have higher hospital mortality rates for firearm-assault injury. Across all six states, the public pays a substantial portion of the hospital cost for injuries caused by firearm assault.


From the article:

As shown in a previous study (Howell and Abraham 2013), the cost of hospital use for firearm-assault injury is very large: over half a billion dollars nationally in 2010 (table 5). Among the six states studied, the cost ranges from over $87 million in California to just under $4 million in Wisconsin.

Most of this cost for is paid for by the public, either through public insurance programs such as Medicaid or as uncompensated care for the uninsured. For all six states, the share of public insurance and uninsured firearm-assault-injury costs combined is over 60 percent (table 5 and figure 4). California has the lowest percentage (64.8); Arizona has the highest (85.0). Nationally, public expenditures offset at least 65 percent of the cost of uncompensated care for the uninsured in 2013 (Coughlin et al. 2014). Doctors also pay a portion of this cost through either in-kind contributions or business losses (Hadley et al. 2008).

[brimic]

Maybe obama can pay for their hospital stays from his stash?
Afterall, if he had a son, they would look a lot like the ones coming into the ER with GSWs.

[Tallpine]

Well - then the cops just need to quit shooting all those young black males  

[brimic]

I've just Read it.
The article seems slanted at making guns the culprit for high costs, yet across the board, its black males age 15-34 who are getting shot. The numbers of white males getting shot in that age group are miniscule- is this because white males don't have as much access to firearms?

[Kingcreek]

bullets are racist too!

[fifth_column]

I've just Read it.
The article seems slanted at making guns the culprit for high costs, yet across the board, its black males age 15-34 who are getting shot. The numbers of white males getting shot in that age group are miniscule- is this because white males don't have as much access to firearms?

Or they're better at ducking . . .

Seriously though, the O administration is attempting to make gun control into a health issue.  They're going to use this, and other reports like it, as a reason to get the "underprivileged" insured, and make guns even more difficult to own legally.  The report states "The public pays a substantial portion of the hospital cost for injuries caused by firearm assault."  I don't see that the "public" would pay less if these "victims" were insured by state-sponsored programs.

All I can do is share the information and point out the obvious.  Namely that gun violence is perpetrated almost exclusively by people that already disregard the law.  It's unfortunate how many people have so much difficulty seeing that which is directly in front of their face. . . .

[KD5NRH]

So they're saying more old women need to get shot to balance things out?

[lee n. field]

Healthcare data from six states--Arizona, California, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Wisconsin--show that hospital use for firearm-assault injury is disproportionately concentrated among young males, particularly young black males.

Well, duh.

Social pathologies have consequences, yes.

And, my takeaway is that I am not paranoid if I go armed outside the house, in this neighborhood.

[roo_ster]

If it were not for non-asian minority males shooting and cutting each other up, my wife would be out of a job.

When we were at the range last week, she switched to shooting her 1911 lefty* and started aiming for particular bits of the silhouette target.  "There goes his kidney.  Bye-bye lung.  Right through the heart.  I really don't like YOU, so I'm giving you two in the gut...you just earned a year in the hospital and a lifetime's worth of colostomy bags."



* Mr. "I Hate Me Some Ambi Thumb Safeties" now gets to install one on her OACP and on the house GM.  She shoots better lefty, it seems and it looks like the manual of arms will be easier, as she can use her index finger on the mag release.  Oh, and pass the crow...I like mine med rare.

[KD5NRH]

Mr. "I Hate Me Some Ambi Thumb Safeties" now gets to install one on her OACP and on the house GM.  She shoots better lefty, it seems and it looks like the manual of arms will be easier, as she can use her index finger on the mag release.

Meh.  Damn lefties just need to learn to use SA revolvers.  Two levers on the safety just means it's twice as likely to get swept into the wrong position at the wrong time.  Besides, nothing says "I really want you to go away now" with the subtle firmness of a Super Blackhawk .44 being cocked.

[AJ Dual]

My thoughts are drifting more towards providing them all with quality firearms in serious calibers, maybe long guns that have more inherent pointability/accuracy and aren't as prone to "gangsta hold", and thus the healthcare costs will be reduced by more of them being DOA.

It'll probably take until the 3D printing revolution can produce firearms capable of handling 12ga and rifle calibers.

[KD5NRH]

My thoughts are drifting more towards providing them all with quality firearms in serious calibers, maybe long guns that have more inherent pointability/accuracy and aren't as prone to "gangsta hold", and thus the healthcare costs will be reduced by more of them being DOA.

It'll probably take until the 3D printing revolution can produce firearms capable of handling 12ga and rifle calibers.

IIRC, in anything short of .454 Casull, it's only the barrels that are a problem.  Durability isn't really an issue either, so a bunch of heavy wall 3/8" pipe reamed for .41 mag double rifles shouldn't take long on a CNC lathe.  Beefy falling block actions could be 3d printed.  Limiting it to single shots or doubles reduces the danger to others from spray-and-pray gunfights.

[zxcvbob]

My thoughts are drifting more towards providing them all with quality firearms in serious calibers, maybe long guns that have more inherent pointability/accuracy and aren't as prone to "gangsta hold", and thus the healthcare costs will be reduced by more of them being DOA.

It'll probably take until the 3D printing revolution can produce firearms capable of handling 12ga and rifle calibers.

Maybe dispense free .45 ammo (both ACP and Colt) in underprivileged neighborhoods as a public service...  (I'm sure they can provide their own guns.)

[brimic]

My thoughts are drifting more towards providing them all with quality firearms in serious calibers, maybe long guns that have more inherent pointability/accuracy and aren't as prone to "gangsta hold", and thus the healthcare costs will be reduced by more of them being DOA.

It'll probably take until the 3D printing revolution can produce firearms capable of handling 12ga and rifle calibers.

My idea was 'laser sights for gangbangers'- so they can hit their damned target (most often other thugs) instead of the grandma waiting at the bus stop of the kid playing on the playground.

I'm totally ok with dirtbags taking eachother out of the gene pool.

[Monkeyleg]

Maybe cities should require criminals and/or gangbangers to have licenses. The cities could use the license fees to cover the costs of medical treatment, and for court and prison costs.

That, or more cities should simply make crime illegal.

[Scout26]

Are they paying the lack of Obamacare fine when they are admitted to the Hospital??

Nancy Pelosi said that everyone would be covered by Obamacare.

[MillCreek]

Are they paying the lack of Obamacare fine when they are admitted to the Hospital??

Nancy Pelosi said that everyone would be covered by Obamacare.

In a related topic, I have read in my journals that some healthcare systems are sending people to the local jails and prisons to register the prisoners for ACA coverage when they get out.  There is some interesting preliminary data coming out showing that this may reduce recidivism, primarily from the standpoint of people being able to find mental health services when they get out.

[Perd Hapley]

In a related topic, I have read in my journals that some healthcare systems are sending people to the local jails and prisons to register the prisoners for ACA coverage when they get out.  There is some interesting preliminary data coming out showing that this may reduce recidivism, primarily from the standpoint of people being able to find mental health services when they get out.

I'll buy that. If we're going to be a socialist nation - with all of the corruption, crime, and poverty that entails - half-measures won't work. We should just go full-retard socialist.

[Hawkmoon]

I've just Read it.
The article seems slanted at making guns the culprit for high costs, yet across the board, its black males age 15-34 who are getting shot. The numbers of white males getting shot in that age group are miniscule- is this because white males don't have as much access to firearms?

It's also, across the board,  black males age 15-34 who are doing the shooting. Since so much of this is drug-and gang-related, maybe it would be cheaper to teach the gangstas to shoot better. Then the hospitals wouldn't have to waste resources patching up the thugs.

[Hawkmoon]

Seriously though, the O administration is attempting to make gun control into a health issue. 

That was happening pre-Obama. You can thank the AMA for that -- especially the national pediatricians' group.

[Boomhauer]

It's also, across the board,  black males age 15-34 who are doing the shooting. Since so much of this is drug-and gang-related, maybe it would be cheaper to teach the gangstas to shoot better. Then the hospitals wouldn't have to waste resources patching up the thugs.

"Oh, you're a Crip with a bunch of gang tats? Out the back of the ambulance you go!"

I mean, you know, we could still be compassionate and slow down to 35 or so...

[AJ Dual]

My idea was 'laser sights for gangbangers'- so they can hit their damned target (most often other thugs) instead of the grandma waiting at the bus stop of the kid playing on the playground.

I'm totally ok with dirtbags taking eachother out of the gene pool.

"da beemz" is a well regarded accessory in the hood already.

The issue there is they lack any ability to regulate them to the firearm, much less even just boresight.

The irony of it all is that if we DID go to these ridiculous lengths to make them more firearms proficient and deadly, we would finally be the "evil whites getting them to kill each other" that we're always accused of being, previously only backed with the most vague and nebulous suppositions or conspiracy theories.  

[brimic]

"da beemz" is a well regarded accessory in the hood already.

The issue there is they lack any ability to regulate them to the firearm, much less even just boresight.

The irony of it all is that if we DID go to these ridiculous lengths to make them more firearms proficient and deadly, we would finally be the "evil whites getting them to kill each other" that we're always accused of being, previously only backed with the most vague and nebulous suppositions or conspiracy theories.  

Da beemz   

[Firethorn]

maybe long guns that have more inherent pointability/accuracy and aren't as prone to "gangsta hold"

I wouldn't count on that:


I remember drafting a bit of a study comparing gangs with primitive tribes and the types of warfare they conducted.  There were a lot of parallels.  One of them is taking deliberate actions to make warfare less lethal by using a mixture of superstition, tradition, and other methods.  It's a bit like monkey/ape warfare as well - more screeching than fighting, and while there's a steady stream of bodies, it's generally not so huge as to threaten the tribe's existence.

Examples would include holding guns and firing them inaccurately - because if you become accurate that means your enemies have to become accurate and that results in too much death all around. 

Ancient tribes had various rituals, on island, for example, any warrior that killed his opponent had to immediately leave the battlefield to ritually cleanse himself.  Doesn't make sense for that battle, but if you think about it, this is when combat is even more physical, so the warrior is probably tired after his fight, thus more likely to lose the next, he's proven that he's valuable, and it's better to ensure that he's available for a later fight than to 'win' this one.

[brimic]

I wouldn't count on that:


I remember drafting a bit of a study comparing gangs with primitive tribes and the types of warfare they conducted.  There were a lot of parallels.  One of them is taking deliberate actions to make warfare less lethal by using a mixture of superstition, tradition, and other methods.  It's a bit like monkey/ape warfare as well - more screeching than fighting, and while there's a steady stream of bodies, it's generally not so huge as to threaten the tribe's existence.

Examples would include holding guns and firing them inaccurately - because if you become accurate that means your enemies have to become accurate and that results in too much death all around. 

Ancient tribes had various rituals, on island, for example, any warrior that killed his opponent had to immediately leave the battlefield to ritually cleanse himself.  Doesn't make sense for that battle, but if you think about it, this is when combat is even more physical, so the warrior is probably tired after his fight, thus more likely to lose the next, he's proven that he's valuable, and it's better to ensure that he's available for a later fight than to 'win' this one.

On the brighter side, the gangs aren't modeled after Vikings or Mongols.