Community health centers: a 2013 profile and prospects as ACA implementation proceeds
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Issue brief (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
- Author(s):
- Shin, Peter, author Sharac, Jessica, author Barber, Zoe, author Rosenbaum, Sara, author Paradise, Julia, author
- Contributor(s):
- Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, issuing body. Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Menlo Park, CA : Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, March 2015
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Community Health Centers -- economics Community Health Centers -- statistics & numerical data Community Health Centers -- trends United States United States.
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- In 2013, more than 1,200 federally funded community health centers provided access to care for low-income populations living in medically underserved communities throughout the country. The Affordable Care Act made expansion of health centers a key part of its strategy for ensuring that these communities would realize the benefits of increased health insurance coverage for their residents. As health insurance coverage expands under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the demand for primary care increases, the role of health centers is likely to increase. A key question going forward is whether health centers' expanded capacity, developed over the past five years, will be sustained going forward. 2013 Profile. (1) Health centers' safety-net role. In 2013, 1,202 federally funded health centers operating in 9,170 sites provided 61 million medical care visits, 11 million dental visits, 6.6 million visits for behavioral health needs, and 5.1 million visits for enabling services such as case management. In all, health centers provided more than 85 million visits. Another 100 "look-alike" health centers funded by states and localities served an additional 1 million patients. More than 70% of health center patients have income below 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL), which is $11,770 for an individual and $20,090 for a family of three in 2015. Nearly 60% are women; almost all (93%) are children and working-age adults. A majority of health center patients are people of color. (2) Health center patients. Over one-third (35%) of health center patients were uninsured in 2013, and 41% were covered by Medicaid. As the ACA is implemented, early evidence suggests that the proportion of insured patients in the health care system will grow substantially. At the same time, however, the uninsured rate among health center patients is expected to remain high, because millions of people who will remain uninsured lack other sources of care. In 11 states and the District of Columbia, health centers serve over 30% of the low-income population. (3) Scope of services. Health centers provide primary care spanning physical, dental, and behavioral health care. They also provide enabling services, such as translation and transportation, which help patients to access care. Between 2000 and 2013, the number of health centers offering dental and mental health services grew, by 22% and 81%, respectively, reflecting both increased federal resources and widespread need for such care. Although the percentage of health centers offering substance abuse services has declined slightly, dramatic growth in the number of health centers between 2000 and 2013 means also that the total number of health centers offering these services has increased.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (13 pages, 1 unnumbered page))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101670454 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101670454