BOSTON -- The rising costs of health care and insurance is leaving many part-time and temporary employees without medical coverage. Many smaller companies are not even offering health insurance to their employees.

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Although times are tough, NewsCenter 5's Anthony Everett reported, Jim Webb said he takes solace in playing his guitar. He was laid off after 22 years as facilities manager at Afga, part of a downsizing and outsourcing move. He said it was a great job with great benefits. Unable to find similar work at similar pay, he joined a small construction company.

"Then a year after that, I had a heart attack," he said.

COBRA, the unemployment health insurance plan Webb carried after the Afga layoff, paid for his hospitalization. But when COBRA ran out, so did his health insurance.

"It's a very small construction company I work for, and they don't offer health insurance to their employees," said Webb.

Webb's put his now grown children through college. But now, he occasionally needs their financial help.

"I never had to have anyone do that for me in my life. This is where I ended up," said Webb.

There are hundreds of dollars of medications to pay for out of pocket, and Webb avoids going to the doctor for check-ups. He said the cost of a private health insurance policy, about $500 a month, is just too high.

"God forbid anything happens -- I don't have medical insurance. It could be tens of thousands of dollars," he said. "I never thought at this age I'd be in the position I'm in, and now to be working without health insurance, it's sort of like a bad dream."

In a recent state sponsored study, half of the working uninsured reported that their employer did not offer health insurance coverage. For part-time and temporary workers, the percentage is even higher.

"I fell into the insurance hole," said Colleen Craven.

That's how Craven described her health care dilemma. She works two part-time jobs -- one for 25 hours a week, the other scheduled for 16 hours. But almost every week, those 16 add up to 24, which should make her eligible to health coverage.

"Even though I work 24, I'm not eligible because I'm not 'scheduled,'" she said.

Craven works at a hospital. She works the extra hours helping a short-handed nursing staff. It's an irony hardly lost on Craven -- working around doctors, but without insurance if she got sick or hurt.

"I think about that every day, every day. Sometimes I won't go down to the end of the driveway to get my mail because I'm afraid I'm going to slip and fall. Probably what I'd do is go to the hospital where I work and hopefully they will give me a discount. It scares me every day," she said.

A growing number of companies hire large numbers of part-time and temporary workers to avoid paying full-time employee benefits.