o Retirement? Not just yet, say many
o Stuck with salary-sapping furloughs
Employer-based health insurance remains “the leading source of health insurance” in the U.S., covering about 159 million nonelderly people, according to a 2009 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust.
But it’s also showing signs of stress. Clark County is no exception. The county posted a July jobless rate of just more than 13 percent, the highest in Washington. At Vancouver-based Southwest Washington Medical Center, the loss of people’s jobs — and, with them, their medical insurance — has contributed to a rise in the hospital’s charity-care expenses. Those costs went from $26.3 million in 2008 to $39.9 million in 2009, a 52 percent increase.
Meanwhile, employers statewide are decreasing their health care coverage. In 2008, the percentage of firms offering medical insurance for full-time employees decreased by 10 percentage points, to 56.5 percent, according to the April 2010 “Employee Benefits Survey Report” by the state Employment Security Department.
David Wallace, acting chief economist for the state, said the rising cost of providing insurance, coupled with the reduced revenues linked to the economic downturn, are likely factors in some employers’ decisions to drop coverage.
In the months ahead, Clark County workers will see two separate and different moves to boost health care. The federal health-care reform law, which seeks to extend insurance coverage to 32 million Americans, doesn’t take full effect until 2014. Locally, Community Choices is preparing to launch a conversation about developing healthy workplaces. The Vancouver nonprofit focuses on ways to lead a healthy life, including eating good food, exercising and designing neighborhoods to include sidewalks, parks and grocery stores.
Sharon Pesut, executive director of Community Choices, said encouraging employers in Clark County to adopt policies that support workers’ physical and mental well-being is next on the nonprofit’s list. Such workplace cultures reduce health insurance costs, she said. For a growing number of local people, however, those benefits are not available.
