OHIO HEALTH INSURANCE: LEADERS EXPRESS WORRIES

Local leaders aired a long list of problems with the current health care system during a local forum Tuesday attended by a representative of 18th District U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover.

Space representative Cindy Cunningham said she would relay the concerns voiced to the congressman as he works with other legislators in Washington, D.C., to adopt a comprehensive health care reform package.

The health care reform roundtable, sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, addressed issues ranging from covering the uninsured to providing enough physicians for preventative care and funding current health programs.

Many children in Ross County are not getting the care they need, said Wayne McLaughlin, executive director of Ross County Community Action. Though his organization does not directly administer medical care, a doctor and dental visit are required for some family programs operated by the agency. McLaughlin said those visits often represent the first time the children have been to a doctor.

"These are real folks with real medical issues that aren't being addressed," McLaughlin said. "This is something we should be committed to getting done."

And while many American children do not get the right kind of health care, those in Ohio's rural counties suffer the most, said Heather Reed, of the Ohio Department of Health.

Reed said a study of third-graders in Ohio showed the average body mass index, a scale for measuring obesity, is higher among those children living in rural areas. And adults in rural areas also are going without proper medical care. Reed said the diabetes rate in adults is 45 percent higher in rural areas of Ohio and heart disease rates are 52 percent higher.

James Ford, of Ross County Job and Family Services, said most adults are not getting the care they need either.

"One half of 6-year-olds in Ross County are on Medicaid," Ford said, adding children qualify if their parents make less than 300 percent above the poverty level, even if the parents do not qualify for Medicaid. "In a family where two children receive Medicaid, the parents might be going without any health insurance, and so it doesn't make for a healthy household."

And getting insurance for those who don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare can be expensive. Often, people don't try to get health insurance until they already are sick, making it difficult to get insurance, said Chris Heiberger, with the National Association of Health Underwriters. Heiberger said his organization represents health insurance agents, brokers and consultants. He said it's very difficult for people to get insurance when they're already sick.

"If you have a chronic condition, you're not going to qualify," he said, adding health care reform is needed but must offer choices and be affordable to families and taxpayers.

Dr. Catherine Bishop, Chillicothe physician and representative for the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians, said part of the major problem with health care in the United States is that this country administers it much differently than other nations.

"The U.S. is the most costly medical system because we have a sick-care system rather than a well- care system," Bishop said.

Bishop said she would like to see more physicians available to help administer preventative medicine, which would save consumers the cost of expensive procedures that could be prevented.

Locally, the Ross County Health District said it has struggled to keep up with current medical programs and provide for unfunded mandates required by the state. Ross County gives away about $500,000 in medical services each year, said Kathy Wakefield, deputy heatlh commissioner.

Recent economic struggles also have made it difficult for the Ross County Health Department, as state funding for programs is slashed.

"Ohio gives us unfunded mandates like tobacco ban enforcement and SIDS investigations, and it's put a strain on us," she said, adding while Ross County is still operating in the black, she worries smaller districts may be forced to close or combine with other local health districts.

Employers in Ross County also have struggled to provide health care for employees, with many smaller employers dropping health care benefits for their workers.

"Seventy-five percent of our members have 10 or fewer employees," said Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Marvin Jones. "Many of these smaller members are cutting health care totally because of the cost."

Cunningham told everyone in attendance she would be forwarding their concerns and worries on to Space, who pledges to work towards a health care reform package.

"For too long, we have allowed the current system to not meet the needs of rural Ohio," Cunningham said.