Building slump has put many on waiting list for help

By Tony Fuller, KTVZ.COM

According to a report released Tuesday by the Oregon Center for Public Policy, more than one out of nine children in Oregon lack health care coverage.

In Deschutes County, the decline of the building sector has increased the lack of health care insurance.

Deschutes County has about 20,000 people who do not have health insurance, a staggering number and much higher than many other counties throughout Oregon.

And parents without insurance mean their children don't have insurance, and it all relates to the downturn in the economy.

"Here at Volunteers in Medicine, we have definitely seen an increase in the amount of calls of people who have lost their insurance, because they have lost their jobs and they are trying to access healthcare." said Kat Mastrangelo, executive director of the clinic (www.vim-cascades.org). 

It's a staggering statistic, from a Families USA study: More than 100,000 children in Oregon don't have insurance, and over 88 percent of those children have at least one working parent.

"Some of the challenges are that we have a lot of small employers here in Central Oregon and with the downturn in the economy, one of the things they can't continue to provide is healthcare coverage. " Mastrangelo said.

Many working Oregon families are squeezed. Some get no health coverage from employers and make too little to buy health insurance for themselves and their children.

"Health care is expensive," the VIM director said. "Even with insurance, there is deductibles and co-pay that people are responsible for. It is very important to have health insurance to be able to access health care."

At Volunteers In Medicine, a non-profit medical clinic serving low-income, uninsured families in Deschutes County, the waiting list is getting longer as the economy continues to slow down.

"We have a waiting list right now that has about 130 people on it, and we are completely booked for eligibility screenings through the end of the year," Mastrangelo said.

Many workers were laid off when houses stopped being built. Those receiving employer-sponsored health insurance for themselves and their children lost benefits, unless they pay out of their own pockets to extend their coverage.  For some, paying out of pocket is impossible.

"When the economy was doing well, more people were able to afford health care or pay for it out of pocket," Mastrangelo said. "Now that the economy has turned down, we've definitely seen a change."

Many medical professionals are hoping the government steps up with solutions before the situation gets even worse.

Current statistics from the Oregon Center from Public Policy shows Oregon has a higher percentage of uninsured children than 32 other states.