The number of Athens County residents receiving Medicaid increased almost 7 percent this year, following a nationwide rise in recipients triggered by the recession.
About 11,300 Athens County residents are on Medicaid this year, an increase from roughly 10,600 in 2009, said Nick Claussen, spokesman for the Athens County Department of Job and Family Services.
There was a national increase of about 9 percent from 2008 to 2009, when total enrollment grew from 44 million to 48 million, said Chris Lee, spokesman for the Kaiser Family Foundation. The Foundation annually surveys the number of people either on Medicaid or uninsured.
As of June, the total number of those on Medicaid remained at about 48 million, according to the foundation's website.
The foundation's survey ties the rise in recipients to the recession, which increased unemployment and health care costs.
Unemployment in Athens County spiked during the last two years, when the rates rose from 6.9 percent in 2008 to 9.8 percent this year, according to the Job and Family Services website.
Medicaid was enacted in 1965 to serve children, pregnant women, the elderly and disabled, Claussen said.
As of 2008, there were more than 10,000 people younger than 18 living in poverty in Athens County, with 33 percent living below the poverty level. About 59 percent of those people are enrolled in Medicaid, according to Job and Family Services.
More than 6,000 Athens County residents older than 65 live in poverty, with about 9 percent living below the poverty level as of 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
As the number of people receiving Medicaid continues to grow, Job and Family Services officials will help individuals apply for the program.
People are being helped as much as the Athens County Job and Family Services can provide
Claussen said.
Beginning in 2014, Medicaid will expand the different types of people covered as a result of the recent health care reform, providing more assistance to people living in poverty.
The new program will serve able-bodied adults at the federal poverty level, ultimately covering half the population currently uninsured, Claussen said.
Americans are eligible for Medicaid if their personal income is between 133 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or $14,404 to $43,320. For a family of four, it's equal to $29,326 to $88,200, according to the foundation's website.
Job and Family Services will continue to help local residents apply for the program to receive health care, Claussen said.
It is good for them individually as well as for society Claussen said.
1
News
Bentley Weisel
32827a.jpg
