Numerous studies have associated a lack of health
insurance with poorer health and earlier death, as well as delayed and inadequate medical care.
The
cost of health care services is often a barrier to the accessibility of
health care, and this can be a factor irregardless of whether a person
has health
care insurance. Three fourths of persons
in the United States in 1994 who had difficulties paying their medical
bills had some type of health insurance (See Source 1.). Studies investigating insurance availability often
are able to characterize those who have insurance and those who do not,
but characterizing affordability among persons who are under-insured is limited,
and so the true issue of health care affordability remains unresolved.
In Allen County, Parkview Health has commissioned a health assessment survey
for the four county area of Allen, Huntington, Noble, and Whitley, due to
be released in September. The preliminary release finds that 19.4% of
those surveyed were uninsured,
and
this
was alarming since a similar survey done in 2001 had the percent of uninsured
at 11.3%. A similar survey done in Indianapolis
in 2002 showed 13.7% uninsured, and the national percentage for uninsured
is 15.2%. (See Source 2.).
The study done for Parkview was based on a phone survey, and since households
without telephones generally have lower incomes than those with
telephones, the percentage of those uninsured may be underestimated. Also,
a 1995 report by the CDC (See Source
3.)
calculated that the number of those underinsured was approximately half that
of those uninsured. If this ratio is still applicable, then almost one third
of the local residents are without adequate insurance (19.4% not insured
plus approximately one half that amount with insurance that results in an
"underinsured" situation).
A
link to the the full 176 (powerpoint)
slide presentation. |
