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Region's rate of uninsured above average: 15.6 percent of Kentuckians do not have health insurance(Daily News, The (Bowling Green, KY) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 10--The rate of people without health insurance in Warren and several surrounding counties exceeds that of the uninsured statewide, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau released its Small Area Health Insurance Estimates on Thursday, documenting the percentage of the population under 65 years of age who are without health insurance. Compiled from various sources, including population estimates, federal tax returns and Medicaid participation records, the data shows that as of 2005, a total of 565,192 Kentuckians under 65 -- 15.6 percent of the total population of that group in the state -- were without health insurance. That percentage outperforms the national rate of 17.2 percent, but many Barren River area counties have greater rates of uninsured than the statewide total. In Warren County, the portion of people under 65 without insurance is 19.8 percent, translating to a total of 16,947 uninsured. Allen, Butler and Edmonson counties also reported higher rates of uninsured than the statewide rate. With 23.4 percent of its under-65 population without insurance, Edmonson County has the fourth-highest rate of uninsured in the state. Carlisle County has the largest proportion of uninsured at 25.7 percent, while Bell County has the lowest rate at 9.7 percent. Ron Crouch, director of the Kentucky State Data Center, said that Kentucky may be outperforming the national rate of uninsured by virtue of having a population that is less transitory and with a smaller proportion of migrants without insurance. Texas and New Mexico are the two states with the largest percentage of uninsured. "The health care crisis has been very problematic for the uninsured," Crouch said. "If you don't have a job and don't qualify for a government health care program, such as Medicaid, you're part of a population that finds itself at risk." The lowest rates of uninsured are found mainly in eastern Kentucky counties traditionally thought of as economically distressed. Crouch said that is not necessarily surprising because of the number of people who may qualify for Medicaid due to economic constraints. When told that Edmonson County had the fourth-highest rate of uninsured, Crouch said it may be connected with the struggle many companies face providing employees with health coverage. "People who are uninsured there and in other counties with higher rates of uninsured may be unemployed or may be working for companies that just can't offer insurance," Crouch said. "Some people may not be poor enough to qualify for a government health program like Medicaid, but can't get coverage through their employer, so they're really caught between a rock and a hard place." Locally, the thousands of people without insurance have limited options for health care, often resulting in costly emergency room visits to address medical issues. Increasingly, though, more uninsured patients have visited Fairview Community Health Center. Opened in 2001, the center offers primary medical, prenatal, preventive and some dental care along with lab services, serving patients in Warren, Butler and Edmonson counties. Uninsured patients who visit the clinic must pay a minimum $10 co-payment and can apply for participation in a sliding fee scale program allowing them to pay based on their ability to do so. Center Executive Director Chris Keyser said that the clinic has taken on a greater number of uninsured patients, to the point that it is now outnumbering the patients on Medicaid. "In 2001, we saw 35 percent of patients who self-paid and 52 percent on Medicaid and last year, 55 percent of our patients were uninsured and 34 percent were on Medicaid, so there's been a complete flop," Keyser said. In addition to the facility on Seventh Avenue, FCHC operates a clinic four days a week in Butler County. Keyser said she believes the growing number of uninsured patients visiting Fairview reflects a growth in the overall population of uninsured in the area. "People are calling us every day and telling us, 'I'm uninsured and I just can't get in anywhere,' " Keyser said. The clinic sees about 10,000 different patients annually, which amounts to roughly 40,000 visits a year, and Keyser said that this year and last year saw the clinic nearly stretch itself beyond its ability to care for the patients who visit there. It is funded through revenue from Medicaid patients and patients without insurance, a federal grant and allocations from the city and county, which Keyser said has been decreasing. "If I can't find a way to figure out how to address that chronic number of uninsured, I may have to set a cap on how many more patients we'll be able to see," Keyser said. "There are not enough medical providers in this community who will see everyone who is uninsured." Health Insurance Coverage Status Percentage of people under 65 in U.S. without insurance: 17.2 Percentage of people under 65 in Kentucky without insurance: 15.6 Allen County Number of residents under 65 years of age -- 16,267 Number of uninsured residents -- 2,587 Percentage uninsured -- 15.9 Barren County 34,543 under 65 Number uninsured -- 5,386 Percentage uninsured -- 15.6 Butler County 11,537 under 65 Number uninsured -- 2,107 Percentage uninsured -- 18.3 Edmonson County 10,292 under 65 Number uninsured -- 2,404 Percentage uninsured -- 23.4 Logan County 23,399 under 65 Number uninsured -- 3,962 Percentage uninsured -- 16.9 Simpson County 14,913 under 65 Number uninsured -- 2,039 Percentage uninsured -- 13.7 Warren County 85,690 under 65 Number uninsured -- 16,947 Percentage uninsured -- 19.8 Total 196,641 under 65 Number uninsured -- 35,432 Percentage uninsured -- 18.0 To see more of the Bowling Green Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.bgdailynews.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |