Harvard researchers published “Health Insurance and Mortality in U.S. Adults” back in 2009. After adjusting for age, socioeconomic status and other health risk factors, that at least 45,000 Americans die from lack of healthcare. Here's the money quote:

Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, study co-author, professor of medicine at Harvard and a primary care physician in Cambridge, Mass., noted: “Historically, every other developed nation has achieved universal health care through some form of nonprofit national health insurance. Our failure to do so means that all Americans pay higher health care costs, and 45,000 pay with their lives.”

Despite the ACA, things haven't changed that much since 2009, to be honest.

Americans spend two or three times as much on health care as a share of G.D.P. as other industrialized countries but get worse outcomes. American children are 75 percent more likely to die in the first five years of life than British or German children, according to World Bank data, and American women are twice as likely to die in pregnancy as Canadian women. The reasons have to do partly with American poverty, and partly with the high number of uninsured.

There are roughly Thirty Million uninsured Americans, even with the ACA in place [Source: CDC] And even those with health insurance have problems paying their bills. Though the number of people declined since the ACA went into effect, the number who cannot afford their care is still in excess of 45 Million people last year according to the CDC (See graphic below).

That number will only increase this year and next as the ACA begins its death spiral with more and more insurance companies abandoning markets and increasing premiums. And that assumes the ACA remains in place. If the current Republican bill becomes law all hell will break lose. Millions more people will lose insurance or be unable to afford it. Millions more will suffer serious health crises and go into bankruptcy.

Yet, despite this imminent disaster, too many Corporate Democrats like Dane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Claire MaCaskill and DWS refuse to support single payer, also known as Medicare For All, even though over a hundred Democrats in the House have supported John Conyers single payer bill, and Bernie Sanders has proposed his own in the Senate.

The party leadership apparently doesn't give a damn about making this an issue to campaign upon next year in the midterms. Note to all you Corporate Democrats: we are taking names. Shouting TRUMP! RUSSIA! is not going to work to get most Americans to change their mind about your party and vote for your candidates. If you want to win elections you need to support policies that will earn their votes.

Then, again, maybe all you care about is continuing the flow of corporate cash into your coffers and the lure of high paying lobbying jobs whether you win or lose. Well, that my dear Dems is not a reason tom unify behind your party and its bought and paid for corporate agenda. It may be the reason your party collapses, however. It's your choice. Back the progressive agenda that a majority of Americans and registered Democrats want or be deposited in the dustbin of history like the Whigs.