UNINSURED: A COMMUNITY ISSUE
 

To have adequate health insurance coverage, including prescription coverage, in the United States is a privilege, and this privilege comes at a high cost that many Americans cannot afford. An alarming 43 million individuals (includes all ages) are uninsured in the United States with almost 20% of this total residing in rural areas. Nearly 8 million people, or 18%, of the non-elderly rural population are uninsured. According to the Institute of Medicine, uninsured families pay more than 40% of their health care costs directly out of pocket. Of the uninsured population, 39% have problems paying medical bills or accrued medical debt and reported a constant struggle to pay for other daily living expenses such as food, rent, or heat. Rural communities, such as DeSoto County, are not immune to the social and economic impacts caused by high rates of uninsured residents. DeSoto County, Florida has the second highest rate of uninsured individuals under the age of 65 as compared to the other 66 counties in the State of Florida. An alarming 29.6% of DeSoto County residents are without any form of health care coverage as compared to the State of Florida (15.6%) and the United States (15.6%). From Year 2000 through Year 2004, the rate of uninsured DeSoto County residents increased by 1.6%.

One myth is that the uninsured do not work when in fact over 80% of uninsured individuals under age 65 are members of working families. These individuals are not able to obtain health insurance because either their employer does not offer it or the coverage is too costly. Purchasing a health insurance policy can exceed 10% of family income for families earning less than 200% of the federal poverty level (Living below 200% FPL DeSoto: 49%). 55.3% of DeSoto County residents work in fields that are considered ‘blue collared’ jobs such as construction, agriculture, and manufacturing, which often do not provide health insurance coverage, including prescription coverage. Many ‘blue-collared’ workers are self-employed and the cost of insurance plans is exceedingly high, which means the individual and/or their family will go without health insurance coverage.

Many individuals don’t realize that high uninsurance rates impact everyone within a community, not just the uninsured person or family. When an uninsured individual cannot afford to pay full price for their medication(s) and does not take their medication(s), severe adverse consequences can occur. This issue has ‘spillover effects’ on local communities. The public subsidy of care delivered to uninsured persons often requires additional public revenues, which can cause higher local taxes or budget cuts elsewhere within a community. It can also increase local costs of health care. By taking prescribed medications a person can maintain or improve their health status, reducing repeat admissions to the hospital, reducing further complications of chronic health conditions, and reducing local uncompensated care. Taking medications helps reduce both the individual’s and the community’s health care costs.

WHO IS DESOTO HEALTH RESOURCES, INC.?

DHRI opened its doors to the DeSoto community in October, 2004. Heartland Rural Health Network, Inc. facilitated the program’s development in partnership with caring organizations within the DeSoto community.
These organizations included:

The mission of DHRI is to improve the quality of life for all residents of DeSoto County by implementing creative healthcare solutions in collaboration with interested and committed community partners.

DHRI is a designated 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that aims to help people who are required to take prescription medications but find they do not have enough money to fill their prescriptions each month and do not have prescription insurance. Services are available for individuals who are uninsured or underinsured and have difficulty accessing needed health care services, including prescription assistance.

This program was established to assist eligible DeSoto County residents obtain free or reduced cost maintenance medications through Pharmaceutical Compassionate Assistance Programs so they can maintain or improve their health status. DHRI also has a voucher program for emergent/urgent medications for eligible residents, but this program is only operational when funding is available.

HOW DOES DHRI HELP THE DESOTO COMMUNITY?

Healthier community residents mean a more productive community and a stronger economic base, which helps the DeSoto community thrive and grow. When there is a stable, effective, and healthy workforce more revenue is brought into the community, people want to move to the community which increases the tax base, and businesses earn greater profits from the community’s healthy status and expanding population. In FY 2004-2005, DHRI saved clients over $100,000.00 in prescription medication costs! This cost savings was provided through vouchers, applications sent to Pharmaceutical Compassionate Programs, and the RxOutreach/Express Scripts program. The DHRI program will continue to grow and save eligible residents money on their prescription medications while improving the overall health status of the DeSoto community.


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Data provided in this document were extracted from
- 2000 U.S. Census
- Florida Health Insurance Study, 2004
- Kaiser State Health Facts
- Institute of Medicine