Many Unemployed Hawaiians Face No Health Insurance

Honolulu (Hawaii): A recent national study has found that many of the unemployed in Hawaii already know that a programme designed to help jobless people keep their health insurance is so expensive that it is often unaffordable.

In the state, the average family on unemployment benefits would have to pay nearly half its jobless payments to cover COBRA health insurance premiums.

A price on health
The average COBRA health insurance cover is at its lowest. However, the cost is very difficult for the unemployed to afford when compared to the high costs of living.

Sheri Takara, a critic commented: “"Practically the whole month of December and the beginning of January I was sick, and I was thinking, 'oh god, I hope I don't get pneumonia or anything serious'”.

Takara was made redundant by her previous employers two days before Thanksgiving. When she looked into continuing her former employer’s health insurance through the COBRA scheme, she was surprised at the price.

Takara said: “COBRA would cost over $300 and that would be over half my paycheck for the month from unemployment. So that's a big chunk.”

So, like many of her fellow citizens, she decided to go without health insurance, which she admitted was not only difficult but a worry:

“I just try to be as careful as I can. Hopefully I don't get into any accidents or anything, knock on wood, and just hope that I don't need to go to the hospital.”

A survey found that the average single person living in Hawaii pays $334 a month for COBRA health cover, while the average family pays $885 in monthly bills for a COBRA premium.

Health Association of Hawaii President Rich Meiers, who represents 32 hospitals statewide said: “When you have to pay mortgages and buy gas and buy food for a family it's pretty hard to contribute $800 also, to health care.”

Meiers furthered: “We're really very concerned at the present time that our charity care and uncompensated care are just going to skyrocket during the year 2009.”

Hawaii is not the only state that is having a health insurance crisis. 200,000 Minnesotans have also lost their jobs, thus health cover and in Illinois, it is thought that an unemployed breadwinner would have to spend 84% of their benefits to pay for health cover for a family.

In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Barack Obama proposes spending around $80 billion to extend unemployment benefits and to subsidise health care for people who’ve lost their jobs.

By: White Catherine

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