Health study is more bad news for Oklahoma's uninsured
Comments 
17
By Don Mecoy
Published: June 26, 2008
One in three Oklahomans has no health coverage, giving the state the highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation.
The Southwest has the lowest rate of health insurance coverage in the country, according to a government survey released Wednesday.Advertisement
One woman's struggle
For one 61-year-old Oklahoma City resident, who asked not to be identified by name, a lack of health insurance has forced her to take desperate measures to find relief for the pain in her arthritic knees.
The woman signed up for a drug study to get medication.
She didn't learn what medicine she had been taking until the study was complete, but "it helped some,” she said. She lost her insurance coverage after a divorce and after leaving the work force to care for grandchildren.
She is seeking government disability payments, although she would prefer to work. Her physical ailments and age make it difficult for her to find gainful employment, she said.
"This is all so foreign to me,” she said. "I hate freeloaders. I've worked my whole life.”
State Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland said the drumbeat of repeated surveys showing Oklahoma ranking poorly in health insurance and the general health of its population may prompt needed action.
Tired of being the worst
"I'm tired of being worst in the nation in terms of such a fundamentally important issue as the health and health care of our citizenship,” Holland said. "If this isn't a call to action to do whatever we must do and can do to make sure our citizens have access to high-quality health care and affordable health insurance, I don't know what is.”
Robin Cohen, the lead researcher, declined to theorize why Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas together have higher rates of uninsured people than other areas.
But another expert said it likely comes from a combination of factors, including state policy decisions and the fact that many jobs in the Southwest are service, construction or other jobs without good health benefits.
The Southwest has a large American Indian population served by the Indian Health Service. The Indian Health Service was not counted as a form of insurance, in keeping with definitions used in other health insurance studies. But even if it had been counted as coverage, the Southwest still would have had the highest uninsurance rates, Cohen said.
"There are substantial inequities in coverage depending where you live, and they seem to be getting worse,” said Ken Thorpe, a health policy researcher.
Holland said the health of Oklahoma's population has become an economic development issue.
Toolbar sponsored by: David Stanley Ford
Thank you for joining our conversations on NewsOK.com. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Leave a comment. Log in below or sign up (it's free).Editor's note: It is not our intent to offer comments on crime or fatality stories.
Justin, Oklahoma City - Jun 26, 2008 12:11 PM"...Justin, nothing you said changes the fact that the state is in a deplorable condition either. Shall I explain what "deplorable" means for you??
Nathan, Norman - Jun 26, 2008 9:23 AM"...A VERY accurate statement Nathan....but it wouldn't matter if health care was almost free in this state, people would still be fat(read that grossly OBESE) and would still smoke like chimneys...it's just easier for them that way. Why get in shape and maybe not need a doctor so much? Why quit smoking?"...they'd rather place the blame on anybody but themselves, and I'd bet that better than half of the people who are negative against me are either fat, or smokers, or both. No reason to have any personal responsibility in this as long as there's somebody to point a finger at....right Okies??