Due to my recent employment my family and I walked into some unknown territory. Losing my job was bad enough, but I also lost all insurance benefits. I was fired on October 30th, my benefits ended the 31st. At the beginning of November my wife and I were scrambling for private insurance. We first planned on using Cobra, but after looking over the package we were appalled at the cost: $1300.00/month for our current plan. I almost had a heart attack.
This has caused us to look into (for now) other means of obtaining adequate health care.
Here in Joplin you see two clinics: Family Access Care and The Joplin Community Clinic. Both are usually packed and hard to get into, but see people and base their pay on their current income. With the rise in unemployment rates rising to a staggering 10.4% currently more and more people are uninsured.
It makes sense then that you have to use the resources around to get the care you need and the use of health clinics are on the rise. It would also make sense the the government, who frequently helps support community clinics would focus more on these local resources to help families in need. Quite the contrary.
The story of a lady who deals with being uninsured is quite scary: this lady has a 5 week son who suffered from a stroke and menigitis and she has been currently taking him to the Family Access Care Clinic for regular visits. Recently the Missouri House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that cut $9.23 million dollar grant that is distributed to care clinics like FSimiamily Access Care.
Similarily, a clinic in Tulsa has had their funding cut short, stopping them from adding on to their ever growing facility. This facility has more than doubled their patient numbers in the last two years and are dealing with major sickness in tight quarters. Their bid to add on won't be addressed for at least another two years, making the addition to the clinic seem more like a dream rather than reality.
The "Family Van" has been visiting the Boston are since 1982, providing regular low cost/free medical screenings such as blood pressures saw a large budget cut last year. This van has been a resource utilized to the community and has helped recognized people at high risk for cardiovascular and pulmonary disorders.
So you see? The need for health care assistance is ever rising, don't cut a resource out of our community. The need will never go away. Obesity is here to stay and so are all the health risks and diseases that go with it. Makes me sick, literally.
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I completely agree with you on this, my husband just recently got fired, and trying to find insurance for our family is a struggle. Although cobra for us was nothing compared to what you would have to pay, but my husband just had a spinal fusion (major back surgery) and we have to have insurance to keep up with physical therapy and our baby's first year shots. I wish there was something out there that could help people like us. This is a struggling time for everyone, lets just hope that a change happens.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is some pretty intense stuff! I don't know what could be done in all honesty. People are just going to have to step to the plate and vote officials in that will do something about these policies. Really though, I think one thing that would help even more is everyone looking out for each other a little more. You know, communities actually becoming communities instead of acquaintances. I don't know those are just my thoughts, and really I just need to start myself.
ReplyDeleteI understand that some budget cuts need to take place. But I can't see the justification budget cuts to community clinics especially in such a trying time. People are either losing their healthcare coverage due to being laid off or simply cannot afford it. I hate to be this way, but it almost seems as if that those deciding on the budget cuts don't have to utilize community clinics they are oblivious to their importance, or just don't care.
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