The number of uninsured people in the United States has slowly been rising for the past few years. A KFF analysis of the data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that 10.9% or 28.9 million people under the age of 65 were uninsured in 2019. This problem is only made worse by the fact that many people who are uninsured avoid medical attention until they are experiencing a medical emergency. Preventable or manageable conditions are made worse and much more expensive when this is done. The U.S. Census Bureau tabulated the reasons why those people were uninsured, and the overwhelming majority, 73.7%, said that coverage was simply not affordable for them.
If you find yourself in the same or a similar situation where medical insurance is unaffordable, you need to know that there are options for you to receive proper medical care. One such option is a community health center. These health centers can also be referred to as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or community clinics, but they all operate similarly. They are non-profit clinics that provide quality health care to people at a very low cost regardless of income or insurance status. Today there are over 1,400 community health centers across the U.S., making them not only affordable alternatives to for-profit hospitals but also very accessible no matter where you live.
Despite the fact that you may be asked to pay only a small fee, you’ll always receive comprehensive, quality care at one of these clinics. That’s because their quality of care is heavily tracked to ensure that they are always providing good care to their patients. These health centers can provide primary preventative care, ongoing care, coordination with specialty care, and much more. For those with severe financial struggles, some of these clinics have on-site social workers who can coordinate benefits through connections they have in your community.
Almost every state has a network of community health centers that can provide low cost or free health care to people regardless of their insurance status or level of income. If you’d like more information about this or like topics, visit Houston Healthcare Initiative (HHI). We are an organization of like-minded physicians and other medical professionals who are looking to help change the nature of our public health in the U.S.