Fewer people need help from free clinics, because of insurance options made possible by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But many still rely on free primary care because they lack health insurance.
Why so many? In a new paper, students at Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan (U-M) report that the main barriers to coverage lie in perceived cost and a knowledge gap about who is eligible for low-cost plans or programs to help pay for coverage.
The findings have prompted several students who volunteer at a free clinic to get certified to counsel patients about their insurance options under the ACA. They hope their research will prompt other safety net clinics to do the same and overcome barriers to insurance so more people can obtain the coverage, tax credits, and subsidies that they’re eligible for.
The students, and one of the medical school professors who volunteers at the U-M student-run free clinic, have just published their findings in the Journal of Community Health. View an abstract at http://bit.ly/1SdilTl.
