Some of the report's major findings include:

• Incidences of diabetes-related end-stage renal disease in the Latino population is up to six times greater than in the non-Latino white population.
• Mexican-American men and women are up to three and a half times less likely to seek care to control hypertension than the general population.
• Uninsured Latino women with breast cancer are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed at a later stage compared to non-Latinos.
• Uninsured Latino men with prostate cancer are almost four times more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage than non-Latinos.
• Uninsured Latino children with asthma are six times more likely not to receive standard medical treatment than non-Latinos.

"Early detection and treatment is the key to the effective management of diseases such as diabetes and cancer," said Dr. Fryhofer. "Yet, the lack of health insurance among Latinos means many members of this population are destined to undergo needless suffering and even death." 

ACP-ASIM is the nation's largest medical specialty organization and the second largest physician group. Membership comprises more than 115,000 internal medicine physicians and medical students. Internists are the major providers of medical care to adults in America.

SOURCE: American College of Physicians -- American Society of Internal Medicine

WEB SITE: http://www.acponline.org/

WEB SITE: http://www.acponline.org/uninsured/