Study: 1.8 million vets lack insurance

Washington -- A study presented in Washington found 1.8 million U.S. veterans under age 65 do not have basic health insurance or access to Veterans Affairs hospitals.

The study, authored by Harvard Medical School Professor Stephanie Woolhandler and presented Wednesday to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said the number of uninsured veterans increased by 290,000 between 2000 and 2004, the most recent year for which data is available, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Woolhandler's study found that 12.7 percent of the nation's non-elderly veterans lacked coverage in 2004, compared to 9.9 percent in 2000.

Veterans over the age of 65 are eligible for Medicare coverage.

"The data is showing that many veterans have no coverage and they're sick and need care and can't get it," Woolhandler said.

Woolhandler based her results on data collected from two previous surveys, the Current Population Survey administered by the Census Bureau and the National Health Interview Survey administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.