Profound’ changes rock community health centers
Profound’ changes rock community health centers
Community health centers must battle managed care, expansion of for-profit health care, and other "profound" changes in the nation’s health care system to meet the needs of the poor and underserved, notes a recent Commonwealth Fund policy brief. At the same time, the brief notes the persistence of long-standing problems such as lack of health insurance and high rates of preventable mortality and morbidity among minority and disadvantaged populations.
Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis and colleagues recommend steps to ensure the viability of the 30-year-old community health center program, which now serves about 10 million people annually:
• Expanding coverage through the Children’s Health Insurance Program for low-income parents as well as their children.
• Supporting purchasing pools to help make insurance affordable, particularly in the small-group market.
• Allowing individuals to purchase Medicaid, Medicare, or other state and federal plans.
• Developing "new state arrangements" for Medicaid. Medicaid managed care contracts give states an opportunity to experiment with mechanisms that preserve the clinical quality and financial stability of community health centers, notes the study, including auto-enrollment, performance-based contracting, and rate-setting that recognizes the provision of care to the uninsured.
Also, the report notes, several states have adopted special regulations that facilitate the development of center-sponsored managed care plans, including Florida, Hawaii, and Washington.
"Community Health Centers in a Changing U.S. Health Care System" is available on the Web at www.cmwf.org or by calling (212) 606-3800.
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