Report ranks Missouri health in U.S. bottom 10
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Report ranks Missouri health in U.S. bottom 10

Date: September 18, 2013
By: Hanna Battah
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: 
If you're looking to live a long, healthy life, you might be better off moving to Vietnam than to St. Louis.
RunTime:  0:36
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: The Missouri Hospital Association released a report ranking Missouri 42nd in statewide health.

The study measured life expectancy contributors like health insurance coverage, preventative care and financial stability.

M-H-A spokesperson Dave Dillon says the biggest setback is the lack of healthcare accessibility.

Actuality:  DILLON3.WAV
Run Time:  00:10
Description: We can really turn those numbers around, but we have to make the decisions, the policy decisions... that drive those numbers.

Parts of St. Louis and southeastern Missouri ranked lowest in healthcare accessibility and had life expectancies lower than Third World countries.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Hanna Battah.

Intro: 
If you live in Pemiscot County, expect to live 10 years less than you might if you lived in St. Charles.
RunTime:  0:38
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: In fact, if you live in Pemiscot County, expect to live less than you might in Iraq, El Salvador or Vietnam.

Missouri Hospital Association ranked the state in the bottom 10 in a U.S. health rankings report. 

Association spokesperson Dave Dillon attributes this to a lack of healthcare accessibility, especially in southeastern Missouri and the St. Louis area.

Actuality:  DILLON1.WAV
Run Time:  00:15
Description: Missouri's hospital emergency departments care for 1 uninsured individual every minute of every day... um... that's not good because emergency departments can fix you if you're broken. But, they are not designed for primary care.

The report says around 800 thousand Missourians are uninsured.

Reporting from the state Capitol, I'm Hanna Battah.