Nevada has the second highest rate of uninsured children in the country — more than 100,000 boys and girls. Yet despite the availability of public health programs to cover kids, only half of those who qualify enroll say state health officials.

VIDEO: Nevada Second Worst for Uninsured Children

Doctor Tamina McMillan with Nevada Health Centers speaks her patient’s language, literally and figuratively. Like the population she serves, McMillan grew up without regular access to health care. Now from the other side of the exam table, she recognizes the challenges faced by the uninsured.

“They have a tendency to wait, withhold or delay treatment because of the fear of getting a bill. So when I see them, a lot times things that could’ve been taken care of easily has grown into this big, huge mountain,” she said.

Roughly half of McMillan’s pediatric patients at the Nevada Health Center’s clinic in North Las Vegas do not have health insurance despite the availability of coverage through Nevada Check Up for the working poor and Medicaid for the most need.

To increase those numbers, along with her diagnosis, McMillan offers applications for both. “That removes the barrier in terms of saying, ‘Well, you need to apply.’ They actually have the application in hand and it’s up to them to fill it out or turn it in or not. You make it a little bit easier,” she said.

State health officials estimate only half of eligible children enroll due in large part to a lack of outreach.

Nancy Whitman with Nevada Covering Kids and Families suggests 70,000 kids in Clark County alone qualify for taxpayer-funded coverage, yet their parents don’t know to apply. “If nobody’s doing outreach, nobody’s sharing that information, parents don’t have a clue that anything even exists for their children,” she said.

Whitman’s non-profit network helps families to navigate the system and to complete the often complicated enrollment forms free of charge. Before the recession, few of its clients had incomes low enough to qualify for Medicaid. Now Whitman notes a shift as the working poor has become the unemployed.

Enrollment in Nevada Check Up is down while Medicaid has exceeded its projections by some 9,000 patients. In this economy, kids who used to qualify for Check Up are now poor enough for Medicaid.

Back at the clinic, McMillan averages fewer patients. In this economy, she says even doctor visits are a luxury. But those who do seek her services get a healthy dose of quality care from a doctor who speaks their language.

Categories: Economy, health, living