News Release

Letter to the Editor: Cover the Uninsured Week: May 1-8

The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to the Clinton Herald by Donna Oliver, President and CEO of Mercy Medical Center - Clinton, regarding next week's "Cover The Uninsured" drive:

Nearly 45 million people in the U.S. lack health insurance and the number has been growing. Four out of five of these individuals are in working families. Here in Iowa, more than 10 percent of our neighbors are without coverage, up from 8.5 percent only two years ago.

Events are planned this week throughout Iowa to bring attention to this problem and its impact on people, small businesses, and our economy. Mercy Medical Center and others in our community will be joining with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Catholic Health Association, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and a diverse group of national organizations – including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO – to sponsor a week of activities to help our communities learn about the issue, share stories, and find local resources for support.

The toll of this problem is both human and economic. Those among us who lack insurance are more likely to receive care late or not at all. As a result, medical conditions often become worse, requiring more intensive and costly interventions. More importantly, those who become ill or who develop chronic conditions face a diminished quality of life, worsened by the indignity associated with having to rely on others for support.

The economic impact is most evident for states and localities like ours trying to attract job-creating investments. On the one hand, small businesses often find that insurance coverage for their employees is either unaffordable or simply unavailable. On the other hand, large employers that do provide health insurance to their workers are bearing many of the uninsureds’ treatment costs, which are “shifted” to them through rising premiums. The result is an “uneven playing field” for employers.

At Mercy Medical Center, we see the problem in stark terms through the increasing number of visits to our emergency room – reaching nearly 17,000 individuals during the last year. Most of these individuals have true emergencies. But many are working families who are not eligible for Medicaid or whose employers do not offer health care coverage. These families come to the emergency room for needed services because they have no other place to receive care. They do not have a physician from whom to obtain preventive services or the ongoing care needed to manage a chronic disease.

We at Mercy Medical Center are collaborating with other community-based organizations to expand and maintain access for all residents of the Clinton area, including the uninsured. We underwrite wellness services, health education programs, cancer screening, and prenatal care and newborn infant screenings. We provide inpatient care at reduced or no cost for uninsured patients with financial need. In addition, we collaborate with local leaders in developing strategies aimed at improving the health status of Clinton area residents.
These kinds of efforts are part of the mission of Mercy Medical Center, and we expect to continue and expand them in the coming years. But as a nation, we must address the larger problem. We urge elected officials to bring this debate to the forefront of the national agenda.

Covering the uninsured makes economic sense because it will mean more efficient and effective care, a healthier population, and a more competitive local economy. More importantly, “coverage for all” is the right thing to do for our community. In a just society, no one should be left behind.

Donna Oliver
President and CEO