Lack of health insurance can lead to sick economy

UCLA researchers say not having coverage can lead to school absences and a higher number of dropouts.



By Lisa Mascaro

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS



Nearly one-fourth of California's Latino children don't have health insurance, potentially leading to missed school days and a downward spiral that can have enormous implications on the state's economic prosperity, UCLA researchers said this week.



As children grow up without vaccinations, physical checkups and routine exams -- some as young as 5 need root-canal surgery because they've never been to a dentist -- their future productivity can be diminished, according to a study by UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture.



"Given that we need to be preparing the work force of tomorrow, we're not dealing with just a Latino issue. It's a work force issue," said David E. Hayes-Bautista, director of the center and a study author.



"Even though these things are concentrated as Latino issues, they are societal. They impact all of us," he said. "It's the educational preparation of that labor force in the future. We need to be making these education decisions and labor decisions now."



The study's authors surveyed available data and literature to "connect the dots" and show the damage that can unfold without medical care for the state's estimated 3.7 million Latino children under 18.



Children are likely to miss school when they're sick, the study said, noting that in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where 70 percent of the students are Latino, kids miss an average of 27 days of school a year.



Without higher education, U.S.-born Latinos are more likely to rely on public assistance and will have lower earning potential, less chance of homeownership and will be less likely to vote.



"We know what the costs of health insurance are, but equal attention needs to be devoted to the costs of not having health insurance," the authors wrote.



Next week is "Cover the Uninsured Week," and many clinics and foundations are sponsoring events to get the word out that free and low-cost care is available for many of the county's 235,000 uninsured children.



"You just see a lot of families who have gone without insurance for so long," said Julie Cha, a spokeswoman for the Northeast Valley Health Corp., a nonprofit center that operates facilities in the San Fernando Valley.



"A lot of them could end up with chronic diseases ... from obesity to diabetes to asthma. These can become chronic lifelong problems that they carry into adulthood," she said.



Thousands of youngsters up to 5 could be receiving care through First5 LA, the program funded by the tobacco sales tax.



And last year, L.A. Care Health Plan launched a massive effort to provide care to older kids through a $128 million effort. With nearly 35,000 kids ages 6-18 now signed up, program operators expect to start a waiting list next month.



Under both programs, kids can get medical, dental, vision and emergency room care, as well as prescription drug coverage. The programs generally cost up to $6 a month per child, with a $5 co-payment for most services. Families generally must earn less than $48,000 annually for a family of three to qualify.



L.A. Care has $4 million in rebates for families that are paying for their own medical insurance -- giving families $20 a month, up to $100, toward the costs of their insurance.



"We feel very strongly that kids deserve a good start in life ... We believe preventive health care is preferable and much less expensive and psychologically costly on the members than ending up in an emergency room situation," said Andrea Van Hook, spokeswoman for L.A. Care Health Plan.