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Lack Of Health Insurance Is A Grave Danger Lurking In Our Community

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By SUSAN HUTSON

Special to the Tribune

Published: March 28, 2009

I have been in management at Premier Community HealthCare Group for about four years, and each day I hear about the devastating effects that being uninsured has on the well-being of people in our community. As the economy worsens and more and more Americans lose their jobs, the number of uninsured is soaring.
Rising health care costs are making it tough for families in Pasco County to stay afloat. During these uncertain economic times, when the prices of food and housing are putting a strain on family budgets, health care costs continue to spin out of control.

Currently, there are 46 million Americans, including more than 9 million children, who are living without health insurance. In Florida alone, 20 percent of the population, or more than 3.8 million people - nearly 800,000 of whom are children - are uninsured and forced to gamble every day that they won't get sick or injured. The majority of these families are working families who do not have access to affordable insurance. One in four workers in Florida does not have health insurance. Nationally, one in five is uninsured, according to a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Six million more workers are uninsured today than 15 years ago.

The sad truth is that when we see these uninsured men, women and children, they have frequently rolled the dice and delayed medical treatment for too long, even when obviously needed, because a visit to the doctor is not in the budget. Too often, our uninsured neighbors are forced to forgo filling prescriptions because of cost and are unable to visit the specialists to which they are referred. Many of our uninsured patients live with serious chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease or asthma, that are left untreated for extended periods.

It is frustrating for our physicians to see patients who have a serious condition that could have been prevented or needed to be treated sooner. Living without health insurance is a risk no one should have to take. It affects all of us, and there are too many patients who have the same story.

Health truly is wealth. After all, what price would you place on your good health?

The writer is director of marketing and development for Premier Community HealthCare Group.

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