JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Hospital Association released a report earlier this month that shows some shocking disparities across the state in life expectancy and health insurance.
The report says that more than 800,000 Missourians have no healthcare and that 75 percent of that number come from working families. The MHA is a supporter of Medicaid expansion, but the report was less about the issue in particular and more about a larger focus on the importance of health insurance, a spokesperson says.
“Health insurance matters and it’s not just a Medicaid argument,” David Dillon, MHA vice president of media relations tells The Missouri Times. “It seems obvious, but this report basically says that people can manage their health more efficiently and live longer if they have health insurance. We’re challenging the state to figure out how we can insure more of our citizens.”
Among some of the more shocking numbers are those that show a steady decline in Missouri’s health standing since the early 90s. In 1990, the United Healthcare Foundation ranked Missouri 24th in overall health standing. Now, the state is 45th.
As of 2012, Missouri ranked among the worst 10 states for heart attack rates, immunizations, public health funding, smoking and high blood pressure, according to the Foundation.
But the report does acknowledge Medicaid, noting that a single parent of two must make less than $9.59 per day to qualify for Medicaid in the state.
“By contrast, the average daily income in Angola is $13.35,” the report reads. It also notes that in areas of the state with a high rate of insurance coverage, the population lives significantly longer. In St. Charles County, life expectancy at birth is 80.1 years and only 3 percent of the under-65 population is uninsured. In Butler County, 10.3 percent of the population is uninsured and life expectancy is 73.8 years.
In Pemiscot County, life expectancy is lower than in El Salvador. Pemiscot has a life expectancy of 71.3 years, while El Salvador beats it with 71.4 years.
“There are loads of misconceptions about who is eligible for Medicaid,” Dillon says. “There’s a perception that a lack of insurance or wanting Medicaid is an urban problem and it clearly is not, some of our most uninsured people live in rural areas.”
Dillon says uninsured Missourians added costs to insured Missourians, making healthcare more expensive and less accessible.
“On average, an uninsured Missourians was treated in an emergency department of a hospital every minute of every day in 2012,” he explains. “That’s just staggering, and as most people know, emergency department medicine is the most expensive kind.”
The report was sent to all Missouri lawmakers, and was intended to act as an education tool, Dillon adds.
“We provided the communications and research component, but ultimately we hope people will use it for many things,” Dillon says. “We want this to be viewed as an educational device for people, and it serves our mission of making Missourians healthier and making Missouri hospitals better.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
