Cincinnati health clinics seeing more uninsured

Almost two-thirds of the patients getting basic medical care from the Cincinnati Health Department's primary care centers in 2008 are uninsured, according to city health officials. In 2005-06, that figure stood at 57%, and by the end of this year it will be about 64%, officials said. Given the nation's troubled economy the increase isn't a surprise, said Hirsh J. Cohen, assistant health commissioner for the city. But it does illustrate the need for better "safety net" health services, Cohen added.