PENNSYLVANIA’S HEALTH CENTERS

• Care for nearly 700,000 Pennsylvanians through more than 2.3 million visits.
  
• Provide comprehensive, high quality primary medical, dental and behavioral health care for all ages regardless of the ability to pay.
• Are located in 45 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. (However, almost a quarter million uninsured Pennsylvanians live in counties without a health center.)
• Are located in both urban (60%) and rural (40%) areas.
• Have a patient base that is 68% Medicaid and uninsured.
• Have a patient base where 93% of users have incomes at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
• Directly generate 3,200 jobs and indirectly support an additional 1,700 jobs.
• Have an overall economic impact of over $500 million.
• Provided $88.3 million in uncompensated care in 2009 (using an uncompensated care formula used by the American Hospital Association).
• Are governed by consumer-based Boards where at least 51% of the Directors must be patients of the health center.
• Must serve a medically underserved area or a medically underserved population.

www.pachc.com

COST SAVINGS TO THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Several research studies demonstrate that health centers yield substantial cost savings to the health care system by reducing emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and other avoidable, costly care. Health centers currently save $1,200 per person through efficient delivery of needed care. A new study from the George Washington University finds that the expansion of health centers will contribute to even higher savings:

• Up to $122 billion in total health care costs would be saved between 2010 and 2015.
• Health centers would save as much as $55 billion for Medicaid over the five-year period. Of that, the federal government would save $32 billion, with states benefiting from the rest.

Ku et al. Strengthening Primary Care to Bend the Cost Curve: The Expansion of Community Health Centers Through Health Reform. Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Collaborative at the George Washington University. June 2010. Policy Research Brief No. 19.

IMPACT OF INVESTING IN FQHCs
Because health centers are located in regions severely affected by the economic downturn, researchers sought to determine the benefit of expanding their federal appropriations. By building off previous studies, they found that a $250 million increase in appropriations would allow health centers to serve 1.8 million additional patients (a 12% increase).

Shin, P, et al. “How Does Investment in CHCs Affect the Economy?” RHCN Community Health Foundation. February 2008; Research Brief #1.

WHERE DOES THE US RANK?
An 11-country survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund in 2010 focusing on health care access, cost, and insurance coverage found that adults in the United States are by far the most likely to go without care because of costs, have trouble paying medical bills, encounter high medical bills even when insured, and have disputes with insurers or payments denied.

Schoen, Cathy, et al. “How Health Insurance Design Affects Access to Care and Costs, By Income, in Eleven Countries.” Health Affairs, 29, no 12 (2010): 2323-2334.