Poverty In Western Pa.: Health Care Coverage Growing ConcernPOSTED: 3:17 pm EST December 19,
2007 PITTSBURGH -- In Allegheny County, one out of every six adults does not have health insurance, and not all of them are poor.WTAE Channel 4's series on poverty in western Pennsylvania continues with a look at a problem that is getting local and national attention.  Watch Paul Van Osdol's ReportMost people without health insurance have jobs and pay taxes, but every day, they risk a medical and financial catastrophe.For Jess Stokely of Munhall, seeing a doctor is a luxury. He works two part-time jobs. One of them is giving tours at Heinz Field, but neither employer offers health insurance. Yet, he makes too much money to qualify for medical assistance."I'm an able-bodied working person, but I can't afford health care, pure and simple," said Stokely.In Pennsylvania, about 800,000 people lack health insurance. That includes 115,000 in Allegheny County, 19,000 Beaver County, 12,000 in Washington County, 11,000 in Westmoreland County and 4,400 in Butler County.Like Stokely, 70 percent of Pennsylvanians without health insurance are employed. When they have health problems, even minor, they frequently end up in an emergency room."And you get the bill, and it ruins your credit, because you can't afford to pay it," said Stokely.Stokely said she was thrilled when Catholic charities opened a downtown clinic that caters to the uninsured. In the one month since they opened, nearly 1,000 people have called for appointments.Dr. Jim Withers, who volunteers his time at the clinic, said Stokely is typical of most patients there."They haven't been able to get the kind of screening things that prevent complications, so you see untreated illnesses and you see diagnoses of illnesses that are further advanced," said Withers.Kristen Erwin, of Shaler, said she worries about her husband's high blood pressure.Erwin's husband is a self-employed contractor. Their income is too high for government programs, but private health insurance would cost more than their mortgage."We are hoping that nothing goes wrong," she said. "Every day, I worry about it, but I cannot afford the self-pay products that are available to my husband and I."The problem of the uninsured is nothing new, but in recent years, growing numbers of politicians have offered plans to expand coverage. Each plan has its merits, but each one also faces formidable political obstacles.Gov. Ed Rendell's cover-all Pennsylvanians plan would cover the uninsured by increasing tobacco taxes and taking money from a fund that helps doctors pay malpractice insurance.His plan is similar to those offered by several Democratic presidential candidates. But many legislators, including Republicans, oppose Rendell's plan."It's a very expensive plan he's talking about, a new entitlement program," said state Sen. Don White."It really does not cover all Pennsylvanians and still is a patchwork system of health insurance delivery, and it doesn't resolve the fact of so many people being noninsured or so many Pennsylvanians being underinsured," said state Sen. Jim Ferlo.Ferlo held a rally last week to support a single-payer plan in which the government covers everyone, much like Canada."We believe the role of private insurance corporations needs to be removed from the delivery of payments to health care providers," Ferlo said.But the idea is so controversial none of the leading candidates for president has endorsed it. White, a Republican who heads the insurance committee, said he worries that plans to fix the current system might make it worse for people who have insurance but are struggling."We also have 11 million people who are insured who are getting to the point where they're going to roll over into this other category, because they can no longer afford health insurance," White said.But Erwin said something needs to be done for families like hers."I think a lot of people operate under assumption there's some umbrella, some safety net out there," she said. "If you become sick, very sick, there is no safety net."The insurance issue will get more attention next year when the Legislature debates Highmark's plan to merge with Independence Blue Cross. The new insurance giant has pledged $650 million to help the uninsured, but White said he worries it could actually force more people to lose their insurance.A Highmark spokesman said that would not happen.As for that Catholic charities clinic, it is looking for more doctors to volunteer their services. They said they need specialists who can deal with more complicated health needs. Related Links: More County NewsGet RSS | E-Mail Alerts Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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