The future of community health centers and the health of the low-income populations they serve are at risk under a potential ACA repeal, according to an analysis from NPR featuring four clinics across the country.
The NPR story provided vignettes of four clinics: Los Angeles-based Saban Community Clinic, Rochester, N.Y.-based Jordan Health, Phoenix-based Adelante Healthcare and Denver Health. These clinics, like many of the 1,300 other similar clinics around the country, began to thrive under the ACA. Medicaid expansion and enhanced funding to expand services and facilities enabled them to grow their footprint; extend free care to the homeless; and hire additional providers such as nutritionists, behavioral health providers or care coordinators, according to the report.
For example, Saban Community Clinic serves a patient population of about 18,000. Before the ACA, about 75 percent of those patients were uninsured and the clinic was sometimes only able to collect a $5 to $10 copay per patient. Now more than half of their uninsured patients gained insurance through Medicaid expansion. The government program reimburses about $200 per visit, according to the report. The funds have helped Saban Community Clinic make plans to add another location. These plans are now on hold due to uncertainty surrounding the ACA, according to the report.
With major portions of the ACA on the chopping block, these centers may have to cut back significantly in the near future. For example, if Medicaid expansion is rolled back many people will lose insurance and go without care until a medical emergency arises, which will increase costs to community clinics. The ACA also increased Section 330 funding, which helps qualified community centers offer expanded services that may not be billable to payers, like dietary, behavioral health or care coordination services, according to the report. Without increased funds, many centers would have to significantly limit offerings.
Read the full story here.
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