Women in Athens County Survey question 4
Are there adequate health-care options for women in Athens County? Should insurance be required to provide more coverage for women’s health concerns?
October 13, 2008
“All Athens County health-care providers have done a tremendous job with providing services for women in every age range and economic background. As a community, we need to always be mindful and vigilant of the most fragile among us and continue to provide for them when they can't provide for themselves.”
–Shawn Morris, 54, a retired registered nurse from Athens
“There aren't really many adequate health-care options for women in Athens County. I've been to several gynecologists in town, and at all of them I was treated poorly for one of three factors: 1. My socio-economic status 2; my sexual preference; 3. my age. Not only that, but there is a surprising lack of endocrinological health providers in Athens. I suffer from an insulin disorder and a hormone related disorder. An endocrinologist is usually who would handle it. The one endocrinologist in all of Athens County who is currently accepting new patients will not see me until January of 2009. I made my appointment for that date in August 2008. That is pathetic. Insurance should be bending over backwards to take care of women's issues.”
–Caitlin Seida, 19, an artist from Nelsonville
“There are not adequate options for people who can't afford to pay for health care and do not have insurance. My sister is self-employed and works 40 hours a week. She goes without, even though she is a productive taxpaying citizen. She simply can't afford to get sick. This issue is a moral cloud over our country.”
–Niki Morris, 36, a non-profit program manager from Stewart
“No and yes. Many women often work and care for a family all at the same time. Insurance should definitely provide coverage for women’s health issues.”
–Molly Smith, 18, a freshman at OU, from Athens
“There seems to be quite a bit of help for women who are living at poverty level. Above poverty level, without enough money to pay for insurance, I feel they just will probably do without all the tests to prevent problems or to find them early. Al insurance should cover all prenatal care, and any and all tests to detect early problems. High-risk women should be able to have the best tests there are to detect any problem that may happen to her and not have to stress out about what it's going to cost her or her family. Stress is one of our biggest killers. Which costs more, the test or the human life?”
–Barbara Six, 57, a business co-owner from Athens
“I only know the situation with my own family. I am a cancer survivor. The medical bills were huge. My insurance was very adequate. My elderly mother has many health issues, as well. Medicare and supplemental insurance from her former employer have also been adequate. I've had to fight a couple coverage issues and I won.”
–Jody Stickel, 55, a retired teacher from Athens
“Being originally from a large city, I know that our health-care choices in Athens County are definitely more limited than in other parts of Ohio. I have never faced a serious problem finding adequate health care for myself, or my family, though…”
–Mary Della Harmison, 35, an administrative assistant for a financial and marketing director, from Athens
“I am guessing that there are not adequate health-care options for women in Athens County, since there are not adequate health-care options anywhere in this country. Insurance should absolutely be required to provide more coverage for women’s health concerns, as it should for men’s health concerns. We should look to other countries to see how well their systems of universal health care works for them. I personally have seen how great these systems work through my travel in several European countries. People in those countries do have a ‘choice’ on what they want in health care. They have the choice whether they want to get free medication at Hospital A, or a free check-up at Hospital B. You follow? It doesn’t matter to have a choice in universal health care, because everything is provided to them and set up for them.”
–Clare Conway, an OU sophomore from North Olmsted, Ohio
“I believe health care is improving in the area with the rise in the number of free breast and cervical cancer clinics. I also think that insurance providers are stingy with women's care. One free gyno exam per year is not sufficient. If insurance covered cervical and breast cancer screenings for anyone 21 and over, as well as offering coverage for self-image workshops (eating disorder support groups, weight loss support groups, etc), women would be in much better health.”
–Tiffany Teofilo, 26, an OU PhD student and senior accountant from Athens
“What I like about Athens County is that there are a lot of alternative health-care choices for women and men, although, the insurance agencies do not cover most of the alternative natural health choices. I am amazed that there are still doctors, even in this county, who are very quick to write prescriptions to mask the problem rather than healing the whole body.”
–Ginger Gagne, 44, executive assistant for the president of an IT company, from Athens
“There are adequate health-care options in Athens but women have to be willing to do some research to find out what those options are. A great place to start is the OU College of Osteopathic Medicine as they have several community-based health-care programs and options. Another place to find information is the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.”
–Catia Carter, 25, an administrative assistant from Athens
“I think there are adequate options, but then I have not had significant health needs. Should insurance (companies?) be required to provide more coverage for women? Well, I think insurance should be provided for everyone, not just women, but I do not think it is the insurance companies who should decide what should be covered…”
–Cynthia Holliday, an OU university lecturer and administrator from Athens
“I don't see it as a ‘woman’ issue, but do think the area has more options related to health care. However, the insurance for all is still a major concern. Poverty, unemployment and low employment for men, women and children are much larger and broader concerns than just for women. Are you asking men if there are adequate health-care options for men in Athens County? Isn't it just about adequate health-care options and insurance for people and families?”
–Angela Anderson, 43, a professional fundraiser for education from Athens
“Not entirely sure what the first question means. As for the second question, I would prefer that the government not be in the business of telling insurers what to do.”
–Lisa Carson, 50, an editor from Athens
“I do not feel there is adequate health-care options for anyone! The benefit we have in Athens County is the people who are in the health-care field have found ways to provide many free clinics for women's health issues.”
–Laurie Gribble-McKnight, 36, a social worker from Athens
“Health insurance should definitely cover one's choice of an acupuncture practitioner. In general, I think people who practice health maintenance and health crisis prevention should be rewarded by an incentive through their insurance.”
–Frances Gander, an acupuncturist and tai chi instructor from Athens
“There are some free services for women here in Athens County, but we really need some sort of universal health-care system. Maybe we could legalize marijuana and tax it, so that the revenue could help pay for universal health-care.”
–Linda Hiller, 53, a house builder and rental manager from Athens
“I have not had problems with my health-care services in Athens County. I do know several women who traveled to Columbus for pre-natal care and delivery of their children, because they did not trust the local obstetrics and gynecology specialists.”
–Cheri Johnson, 56, a psychotherapist from Athens
“Health-care options vary, I am sure, from employer to employer. I feel that there should be more coverage for women's health concerns. Speaking as a cancer survivor myself, it was a very expensive battle when I dealt with that 10 years ago.”
–Sherrie Norman, 40, a deputy sheriff, mall manager and retail manager from Athens
“My daughters and I have adequate options, but insurance should cover more costs of preventative care.”
–Heidi Wilhelm, 39, a mom and birthing instructor from Athens
“Yes! If you have to go to the doctor, why shouldn't it be covered.”
–Laura Jordan, 52, a karaoke DJ from Albany
“I believe the real question is: are there adequate health-care options in the United States? Of course not, and especially, not for women. I think Athens County is fairly representative of many impoverished places in the U.S., of which there are too many. Under the Bush administration, we have seen funding for important programs such as Planned Parenthood dwindle. In general, I believe insurance should be required to provide more coverage for preventative health-care, birth-control options, breath cancer screenings, etc. But I believe this should be true for men's health concerns as well. If the government had a stake in health insurance (such as a single-payer system), I believe they would probably be just a little more interested in the nation's health and consequently work to provide more preventative health-care.”
–Johanna Mateer, 26, an independent provider of home health-care from Athens
“No, there are not adequate health-care options for women in Athens County. Your choices are limited unless you are willing to travel. If you are not well read in terms of options for treatment, you are also limited. Yes, there should be more coverage for women's health concerns. You should not have to choose between a mammogram and getting a tooth filled.”
–Janice M. Wright, 54, a clinical supervisor from Athens
“If you have insurance you have options, but I know many young adult women with no insurance, which equates to no options. I feel really lucky because my husband and I both have insurance. However, if I needed major surgery, I would head up to Columbus.”
–Suzanne Borchard, 56, a children’s outreach coordinator from Athens
“I feel that health-care is abundant in Athens County. There are many services available, whether you have insurance or not.”
–Tabitha Bond, 38, a business owner from Coolville
“I have never personally had a problem getting adequate health-care here. I don't think the lack of options is a problem. It seems to me to be a problem of education. The women in Athens who truly need assistance with health-care are the ones who are least likely to be educated about what options they DO have.”
–Brandi Mullins, 34, an LPN from Athens
“From my experience, there are, but my experience is somewhat limited. I am a healthy, relatively young woman. I gave birth at a very large hospital in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and also at O'Bleness, and can say that I felt my prenatal care at both places was superior. As for requiring insurance to provide more coverage, I'm always in favor of that, no matter what the issue.”
–Diane Scharer, 36, a stay at home mom from Athens
“Most insurance notoriously doesn't cover many of women's health concerns, including preventative care. My personal insurance is through my husband's student insurance from Ohio University, and it often outright denies any claim, which I have to appeal automatically. We don't have many options for doctors in Athens County, but I do appreciate the ones I have here.”
–Suzanne Fisher, 35, a recent ecotourism graduate of Hocking College, from Nelsonville
“Well, really I do not feel there is enough health-care for everyone. There are a lot of people in just Athens County who go without medical care because they cannot afford it and/or do not qualify for help. I think we need more coverage for health care for everyone. It’s awful for folks to go to work sick and make others sick; then it cost everyone else like a chain reaction.
–Billie Byers, 49, former junk separator, cashier, home health aide, wife, mother and homemaker from New Marshfield
“As far as I know, the health-care programs in Athens County are fairly adequate, at least for the college students. I know that Athens County is poverty stricken, and I am sure that a lot of people do not have adequate health insurance. Therefore, there should be universal health care for people who are sick or even terminally ill to be provided with the medical treatment they need.”
–Stefanie Dimofski, 18, an OU freshman from Gahanna, Ohio
“I'm impressed that you don't have to leave Athens for mammograms. However, I cannot speak to other health-care options for women. I wish that my spouse's health coverage included preventative procedures for women. I don't understand why they will cover a mammogram but not the PAP test.
–Betsy Gosnell, 42, in professional development, from Amesville
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