According to an article released this week by the US News & World Report, the uninsured are far more likely to die from cancer, insinuating (once again) that affordable health insurance could save many lives, and even minimize the growing financial burden of medical debt.

Sadly, it makes sense that the uninsured won't survive cancer like those who enjoy medical coverage. The uninsured don't get the benefits of face-to-face time with doctors and nurse practitioners who can counsel them on how to make healthy lifestyle decisions. Appointments with medical professionals can also make it easier to catch cancer before it spreads and becomes more dangerous.

But no one thought the numbers would be so high: according to the article, those who are uninsured are 60% more likely to die of cancer. That's a tremendous and eye-opening statistic.

And while a lack of affordable health insurance has been linked to illnesses before, now the issue of the under-insured is also at hand. Even those with medical coverage can rack up debt that is devastating. The article goes on to say that "there are a substantial number of Americans who don't realize they are a cancer diagnosis away from economic disaster."

What is a person to do? The best approach if you are uninsured, but don't qualify for state-subsidized medical coverage, is to shop around for an affordable health insurance plan that offers those important yearly checkups. More and more health insurance agencies are offering tailor-made plans designed to cover such basics, and if you're up front about the fact that you are looking at more than one provider, you're more likely to be offered competitive prices on coverage.