Group quizzes state rep about plans for dealing with uninsured
By Nick Claussen
July 28, 2008
State Rep. Jimmy Stewart met with Athens area residents to discuss health-care issues last week, in the first of a series of forums that will be held with area legislative candidates.
Stewart, a Republican from Albany, represents Athens County in the Ohio House’s 92nd District. He is running for the 20th District seat in the Ohio Senate against Democrat Rick Shriver of Morgan County.
The southeast Ohio chapter of Ohio Consumers for Healthcare Coverage is holding the series of discussions with the candidates about health-care issues and is presenting a list of questions to each of the candidates. The meetings are taking place at Christ the King University Parish in Athens.
Margaret Demko, coordinator for the southeast Ohio OCHC, explained that with the growing number of people who are uninsured in Athens County and the surrounding counties, and with the lack of medical care available to many people, the health-care problem is growing in southeast Ohio.
“Something’s got to be done about the health-care crisis,” Demko said.
Her family has no health insurance, and she has experienced problems with doctors turning her away because of this, she said. She also has run into the high costs of medical care, such as being charged $200 for a bandage, Demko said.
Others at the meeting related stories about their children not being able to get health insurance because of their jobs or pre-existing conditions, as well as stories about how high health-care expenses are hurting local families.
Stewart said that he heard numerous similar stories in 2007 when the Ohio House conducted hearings on the health-care problem in the state, and said he sympathizes with people having financial hardships because of high costs for health care.
“It wasn’t at any fault of any of these people,” Stewart said, adding that the problem is the same all across Ohio.
The state budget passed in 2007 expanded Medicaid coverage, and made some improvements, but there is still a long way to go, Stewart acknowledged.
“It makes a difference to the people it does cover,” he said about the expansion in 2007.
One questioner asked Stewart what he can do to help the estimated 8,900 Athens County adults without insurance.
Stewart responded that the expansion of the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) facilities helps with this problem, as these clinics serve people on Medicaid, people with no insurance and people with insurance. Athens County has such as clinic in The Plains (Family Healthcare Inc.), he added.
“If you don’t have insurance, they bill you on a sliding fee,” Stewart said. The facilities are a big help, but they obviously don’t solve the whole problem, he said.
Stewart also pointed out during the discussion that he is open to the proposal for the state to create a system for people who are designated as “high-risk” for health insurance to get insurance through the state. He is also open to listening to other proposals, he said, though he pointed out that big changes in government often happen incrementally, not overnight.
Warren Haydon, who works for the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services, said that since people pay taxes for roads, police protection, parks and other services, it would make sense for them to also pay taxes for health care.
Several at the meeting advocated for government health-insurance programs, saying it could actually cost consumers less, while providing more health-care options to state residents.
Stewart noted that 40 percent of the state budget already goes for paying health-care costs through Medicaid. He welcomes discussions about all of the different options for improving the health-care system in the state, he said.
Several at the meeting observed that while O’Bleness Memorial Hospital in Athens accepts patients on Medicaid and with no health insurance, private clinics do not have to accept these patients. When the new Holzer Clinic facility on East State Street opens, they said, it could hurt O’Bleness financially, which could translate into decreased services for the uninsured and underinsured.
Stewart said that he works hard on health-care issues in the Ohio General Assembly, and that area residents concerned about health care should let state officials know about their concerns, and share their ideas for how the government can fix the problem.
The area Ohio Consumers for Healthcare Coverage plan to meet with 20th Senate District Green Party candidate Tim Kettler from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, and Democratic Candidate Rick Shriver from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8.
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