Two more local candidates for the Ohio General Assembly attended health care forums in Athens recently, and shared some ideas on what should be done to improve the health care system in Ohio.

The forums are being sponsored by the southeast Ohio chapter of Ohio Consumers for Healthcare Coverage (OCHC). The group is inviting all five of the candidates running for the Ohio Senate’s 20th District seat and the Ohio House of Representative’s 92nd District seat.

For the Ohio Senate, Republican Jimmy Stewart, Democrat Rick Shriver and Green Party candidate Tim Kettler are all running for the seat. For the Ohio House, Democrat Debbie Phillips and Republican Jill Thompson are running for the seat.

Stewart met with the local chapter of OCHC in July, and Kettler and Phillips met with the members in early August. Thompson and Shriver have both had to reschedule their meetings.

At the forum Phillips attended, Margaret Demko, coordinator for the southeast Ohio chapter of OCHC, pointed out that there are at least 8,900 uninsured adults living in Athens County. She and others at the forum discussed numerous problems with health care coverage in Ohio, such as the lack of doctors in some areas, the problem some people have getting insurance if they have pre-existing conditions or are self-employed, and the lack of affordable care available to people with no insurance.

“Health care is the biggest issue by far in our state,” Demko said. “Something needs to happen.”

Phillips, who currently represents the Fourth Ward on Athens City Council, said that in her discussions with people in the 92nd District, she has heard countless stories of people having problems receiving health care or paying for care. One woman told her about how she has a pre-existing heart condition and is planning to not go to the hospital if she has further heart problems because she has no way to pay for the medical care, she said.

“She would rather die at home then wind up $100,000 in debt,” Phillips said.

Part of the challenge in southeast Ohio is just to have basic health care services available to all residents, she added.

The state needs to be more efficient and effective with the money it spends on health care, and providing more funding for preventative care would help in this area, she said. Phillips also said that she supports initiatives Gov. Ted Strickland is looking at to improve access to medical coverage in Ohio.

“I think everyone deserves access to health care,” Phillips said.

Phillips also said that regulations that often cause people to lose their health care coverage if they get jobs can serve as a disincentive for people to try to become more independent. She supports a buy-in program for Medicaid, so that people can still receive Medicaid and pay for it on a sliding scale when they get jobs. This way, they will be able to earn an income while keeping their health care coverage, Phillips said.

Phillips also questioned how insurance companies are able to contract with health care agencies to pay a certain amount for services instead of the amount charged, but people with no insurance have to pay for the full amount charged.

On Sunday, Phillips said she was pleased with the forum and the work being done by the local chapter of the OCHC.

“I’m encouraged to see individuals trying to work toward solutions for increasing health care coverage,” Phillips said.

KETTLER IS SUPPORTING a proposal for the single-payer, universal health-care system in Ohio, and argues that it would cure many of the health-care woes in the state.

He explained after his appearance at the forum that his main focus for improving health care is supporting the Healthcare for All Ohioans Act. The proposal has supporters around Ohio, but also has plenty of critics who question the funding and the health-care coverage it would provide.

Legislation for this act is pending in both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, though it may not make it to a vote by the end of the year, and could have to be reintroduced again in the next session of the Ohio General Assembly, Kettler said. A petition drive in support of the act could also make it a ballot issue for state residents to decide, he said.

“It will cover everyone without exception,” Kettler said. “It is a publicly funded system that retains patient choice.”

The system as proposed is funded through three methods, he explained. One part is through a gross receipts tax on businesses, he said. This tax would exempt non-business enterprises such as school districts and governments.

The second way of raising revenue would be through a payroll tax, while the third would be through a tax on wage earners who make an annual salary over $97,500, Kettler said. He added that 92 percent of all Ohioans earn an annual salary below $97,500.

Kettler argues that this system would save businesses and employers money because while they are paying a new tax (or two new taxes for businesses), they would no longer be paying for health insurance and workers’ compensation.

People who are self-employed currently pay high rates for insurance and would benefit greatly from this plan, he said. The proposal would also help Ohio families by eliminating their health-insurance costs, Kettler said.

The system would establish a central fund to collect revenue to be used to pay health-care providers, and that fund would replace health insurance, he said. The plan would cover mental, dental and vision care, but would not cover long-term care, he said. That system would continue to receive funding through Medicare, he added.

“This is a transition to a new type of system,” Kettler said. This system would eliminate the need for health-insurance companies, which currently operate to make a profit, he said. By eliminating the companies making a profit off of the health insurance, it also will save state residents money, he said.

This plan would provide health care to all Ohioans, would increase access to medical care to people around the state, and would actually save state residents money, Kettler argued.

“We recognize the reality that this isn’t getting done overnight,” he said.

Kettler said he has worked with the group supporting this proposal for the last four years, and said campaign funding will have to be raised before the group is ready to put it on the ballot.

If he is elected to the Ohio Senate, Kettler said he will sponsor or co-sponsor the legislation, which would need to be reintroduced, for the Healthcare for All Ohioans Act, he said.

“I believe health care is a right. It’s not a luxury for those who can afford it,” Kettler said.