FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2008
Contact:
Catherine Onyemelukwe, Director, Development and Communications
203-549-0075 x 14
conyemelukwe@bcacct.org
Fax: (203) 549-0203
Health Care Crisis Hits Suburbs
BRIDGEPORT, CT, 3/31/08 — Gripping stories of unmet health needs and financial disaster caused by health care costs caught the attention of state legislators at Sunday’s Health Care Forum in Westport, “Is there a Health Care Crisis in the Suburbs?”
All seven state legislators from the four towns of Easton, Fairfield, Westport and Weston were invited. The five who came - Senator John McKinney and Representatives Thomas Drew, Kim Fawcett, Joe Mioli, and John Stripp – and another fifty audience members listened carefully as six local residents told of their struggles to pay for health care and the repercussions on their lives and livelihoods.
“Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition is holding this forum because more than 325,000 residents across Connecticut do not have health insurance,” said Marilyn Ondrasik, Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition Executive Director. “Many more residents who do have health insurance cannot afford skyrocketing premiums and out-of-pocket costs. More than half of the personal bankruptcies in Connecticut are due to health care costs. The toll on citizens of our state is disastrous,” concluded Ondrasik.
Jim Russell who is self-employed was one of the speakers with a compelling story. He went without health insurance for eight years because of the cost and has only had insurance for a few months. “But if I lose one client, there go the benefits,” he says. “I know I’m gambling everything by not having health insurance – my house, my car, and my personal possessions. I volunteer at a soup kitchen, and I know that I could easily be on the other side of the table.”
More than 5,400 residents in Fairfield, Westport, Weston and Easton are self-employed like Russell.
Another story came from a corporate executive who was suddenly diagnosed with a brain tumor six years ago. A spokesperson told his story for confidentiality reasons. Initially he continued working during his treatment. Over time chemotherapy treatments took their toll and were stopped. After a six-week leave of absence he regained his strength and went back to work.
The company he was working for “eliminated” his position eighteen months later. The costs of his healthcare and prescriptions had rapidly escalated into six figures. Then his health insurance company dropped him, even though he was part of a senior executive health insurance program that was supposed to continue for another 15 years. So today he is accepting Supplemental Social Security Income and healthcare coverage. His daughters are covered by the state program of health care for low and moderate income children, HUSKY.
Health Care Crisis, p. 2
He is feeling strong now and wants to go back to work. He wants to be productive, contribute to society, pay his share of taxes, and eliminate the state and federal aid that he and his daughters are getting. But with his pre-existing condition, and the current healthcare system, he feels like he has a ball and chain wrapped around his neck. He feels trapped.
It is well known that the lack of health insurance has serious health and financial consequences. People without health insurance are more likely to delay preventive health care and medical treatment until there is an emergency that requires more expensive care. They are also less likely to fill needed prescriptions or get a necessary medical test because of cost.
The event had the bipartisan support of the Democratic and Republican Town Committees in the three towns of Fairfield, Westport, and Weston, as well as the Democratic Women of Westport and the Social Justice Council of the Unitarian Church in Westport.
The Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition (BCAC) is a coalition of organizations, parents, and other concerned individuals committed to improving the well-being of Bridgeport’s children through research, advocacy, community education and mobilization.
# # #