Being uninsured can be disastrous for your health, particularly for those with a chronic illness such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, according to a Harvard study published in October.

The study found that half of all uninsured people with diabetes or high cholesterol didn't know they had the disease. The uninsured were more likely to skirt treatment, resulting in increased costs, complications and death, the study found. For example, control of hypertension can halt strokes.

"When the uninsured develop chronic conditions, they are more likely to go unrecognized or be undertreated," the authors wrote in Health Affairs. For example, 77 percent of uninsured high cholesterol patients had it inadequately treated, compared with 60 percent of insured patients. And 58 percent of uninsured with high blood pressure had the condition poorly controlled, compared with 51 percent of insured.