We use the best available longitudinal dataset, the Health and Retirement Study, and a battery of causal inference methods to provide both central estimates and bounds on the effect of health insurance on health and mortality among the near elderly (initial age 50-61) over an 18-year period.  Compared to matched insured persons, those uninsured in 1992 consume fewer healthcare services, but, do not have worse health outcomes and, in our central estimates, do not die significantly faster than their insured counterparts.  Our bounds suggest that prior studies overestimated the health and mortality benefits of health insurance for the uninsured. Joint with: Bernard Black, José-Antonio Espín-Sánchez, and Kate Litvak