Medical Non-Emergencies

Added: (Wed Oct 07 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - The question of how to deal with those who don’t have health insurance is a real issue in the 21st century and more particularly in a recession.

The problem facing the nation these days, other than imminent changes to the health care system in 2010 etc., is how to provide health care to people without health insurance. The reason this has become an issue is that many of these people are using hospital emergency rooms to get primary care – the kind of care that typically comes from a doctor. A possible solution on the horizon may be to pool assets and get more effective in delivering care.

The major dilemma is that people without insurance still need a primary care doctor because that is “just the way life happens.” It all boils down to the choices indigent people face daily – what to pay first (rent or food) and what to do without (usually medical care). When a medical crisis does present itself, the idea would be that a network of local agencies could assist these individuals find a place that will help them. Often this is a matter of being told help exists and being shown how to access that help. If expenses were dealt with through social agencies such as SSI, then there may be funds for medical treatment.

There has to be a solution to reducing the heavy traffic to Florida’s emergency rooms, and if one takes a hard look at the statistics, it is very evident some type of safety net is badly needed. The statistics speak for themselves and show that of the 18 million people who live in Florida, roughly 3.6 million of them have no medical coverage. Of that number 548,000 uninsured are kids. These numbers don’t just deal with people who have lost their jobs. In fact, more than 60% of those with no health insurance have jobs.

While that may seem odd, it makes sense because what has happened is that health insurance is just out of their economic reach and yet they still make too much money to be able to qualify for Medicaid. This ‘stuck between a rock and a hard place’ means many Floridians who have no insurance, minimal insurance or no access to a doctor are heading to the hospital ER in droves. So much so that in 2007 alone 71% of the care delivered in Florida ERs fit into the non-emergency category. The numbers continue to creep up each year.

Enter PCAN – the Primary Care Access Network – whose stated goals are to make sure everyone has a medical home and that health care is accessible for everyone in the community. The mission is actually summed up best by the desire to provide “100 per cent access with zero per cent disparity.” In order to achieve that goal, PCAN has been busy developing a system of primary care centers in several Florida counties. Interestingly enough, non-urgent trips to the ER in counties with a PCAN clinic have dropped by close to one-third.

Despite the fact that the PCAN program and clinics billed roughly $3.5 million, the clinics being open for the uninsured meant 3,122 fewer ER visits for the routine care the clinics dispense. Perhaps there is light on the health horizon after all.