There are more than 20,000 Miami County residents under the age of 65 without adequate health care coverage today. They are less likely to see a physician during any given year. In fact, they usually do not have a physician and do not have a regular source of health care. They receive far fewer preventive screenings; if they have a chronic illness, they are less likely to receive care for those conditions than individuals with insurance.

During the last two years, the State of Ohio and Miami County have both had significant budget cuts that have impacted the underserved residents of our county. Medicaid has reduced the number of qualifying individuals; the Medication Dependency and TANF cash welfare monies are just some of the programs that have experienced severe reductions recently and the future of these programs is unclear at this time.

In addition to budget cuts, job losses have impacted the county. In Miami County alone, 3,347 jobs have been lost during this last recession. There has been a slight up-turn in the jobs market; however these jobs tend to be in the service industry.

There are currently three safety net providers in Miami County. Upper Valley Medical Center currently provides emergency care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. The Miami County Health District provides care to pregnant women as well as immunizations and well-child visits for children. Health Partners of Miami County operates the only free health clinic that treats the uninsured and under-insured individuals at no cost to the patient.

Local health departments across the nation are beginning to change their focus from a direct patient care focus to a broader public health and safety focus. The Miami County Health District can easily demonstrate the lack of another safety-net organization to absorb the impact or cost of the population they currently serve; specifically pregnant women and children. There is, however, a possibility that services currently provided by county agencies (such as the Health Department) could someday fall to other safety net providers in the future.