Community health hazard: No insurance

The free dental, vision and foot care that three doctors provided in Lihu’e on Christmas Eve day was a wonderful gift to the underprivileged patients. It was the doctors’ way of helping their community. And they were able to do something about the lack of medical attention for people who have no medical insurance.

But the relative handful of patients receiving the free care last Sunday were a drop in the bucket of uninsured or underinsured islanders.

As TGI staff writer Paul C. Curtis’ front-page article pointed out the same day that needy residents were lining up at the doctors’ offices, an estimated 4,800 Kauaians and more than 100,000 people throughout Hawai’i are without medical insurance. Even when sick, they delay or forego proper care, making themselves sicker.

The problem clearly is statewide. It seems to have a particular hold on Kaua’i, though, especially among two age groups – 15 to 17-year-olds and 55 to 64-year-olds – in which the island has the highest percentage of uninsured residents.

Throughout Hawai’i, the issue isn’t tied solely to low-income individuals and families. People in the “working middle class” might also be without insurance, notes Hawai’i Medical Service Association, which has embarked on a three-year study and program aimed at finding a way for fewer people to be among the uninsured and forgotten. In particular, the project seeks 100 percent coverage for children.

Wish the project well. The personal health of communities’ members is of paramount importance. In addition, major healthcare institutions serve patients regardless of their inability to pay. As a result, unpaid healthcare services rise into the millions, an expense that can affect the cost of insured healthcare.

Getting the issue of underinsured under better control will require the cominbed efforts of government, healthcare providers, employers and social agencies. The sooner workable solutions are found, the better.