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Those with continuous coverage prior to age 65 were classified as "insured." Among those reporting coverage gaps, men and women who had lacked insurance for more than half of the period between ages 55 and 64 were classified as "persistently uninsured." Those with some coverage beyond that threshold were classified as "intermittently uninsured."

Continuing until the age of 72, all participants were also asked to assess their general health status, reporting on their physical function abilities, mental health, pain experience, mobility, and depressive symptoms. The researchers ranked the responses, and assigned patients scores for all health issues.

Patients were also asked to indicate if they were diabetic and to report all incidences of heart attack, hospitalization for heart failure, and debilitative angina -- chest pain.

The study authors found that slightly more than 5,000 of the survey participants -- almost 70 percent -- had been continuously insured before receiving Medicare. Just over 2,200 were either intermittently or continuously uninsured between 55 and 64.

More than 60 percent of all the participants said they had been diagnosed with high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and/or diabetes prior to 65. Almost 70 percent of these patients had been insured, while the remainder were not.

Health status for the uninsured worsened at a much faster rate in the pre-Medicare years than for the insured, with the uninsured ultimately entering Medicare with far lower overall health scores than the insured.

However, once covered by Medicare, the health of the previously uninsured improved markedly, regardless of whether prior coverage had been non-existent or spotty. In fact, the uninsured group experienced no further declines in overall health during the Medicare years.

As a result, by age 70, the difference in overall health between the uninsured and the ins
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