HomeMy WebLinkAbout061625 email - Concerns about cost of healthcare access at our Title X clinicALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Jefferson County Board of Health --
As citizens who care deeply about access to healthcare in the community, we want to open a discussion with you regarding a situation that has been brought to our attention.
We recently learned that our much beloved Public Health Department has raised the cost of healthcare services to those in the community who must pay out of pocket for their healthcare.
A young woman recently was seen at Public Health’s Title X clinic and was shocked to learn that the cost of her appointment was double what she had paid previously for it.
After some checking around, we learned that there was in fact a rather significant increase in the cost of services for those in the county who lack health insurance. The cost for a
regular office visit increased from the previous $104 to $235, while the cost of a comprehensive office visit (something likely to be needed by someone experiencing healthcare distress),
went from $253 to $530.
In looking at the minutes and agendas of the previous Board of Health meetings, it does not appear that there was any public notice of this rather profound increase. Hence our desire
for a discussion of this issue.
We completely understand the fiscal pressure that all government agencies face right now. We are equally sympathetic to those people in this community who make too much money to qualify
for AppleHealth but still cannot afford decent health insurance and thus must pay out of pocket for basic healthcare needs.
We believe it is important to have a discussion on how else we might solve this fiscal problem. If people cannot get affordable healthcare at the county’s only Title X clinic, they are
likely to seek healthcare out of the county. And if they seek healthcare outside the county, they might decide to leave the county. In addition, those who don’t seek regular healthcare
also more frequently end up in the Emergency Department, which adds to the cost burden of our local public hospital district.
We believe it is important to support the young farmers, business owners, and entrepreneurs who live here -- those most likely to be living on that edge between Apple Health, no healthcare,
and the Washington Healthcare Exchange. We acknowledge that coming budget cuts at the federal level could leave even more people in the county without healthcare, putting more people
potentially in need of services at the Jefferson County Public Health Title X clinic.
We would love a discussion of the rate increase, the reasons behind it, and possible optional steps we as a community could take. We would be happy to meet with you separately, or to
see this addressed in a comprehensive way at a Board of Health meeting.
We welcome your response, and thank you so much for what you do in the community,
Angela Gyurko
Vicki Krause
Eva Raczkowski Bennett
Julia Cochrane
Linda Martin
Allene Niehaus
Lori Bernstein
Erin Reading
Jason Victor Serinus
Rachel Gaspers
Joe Gaspers
Katherine Baril