We hope you and your families enjoyed safe, happy and healthy holidays! Now that we are in the New Year, we have much to look forward to regarding healthcare in the U.S. As we’ve discussed in our previous three posts, we are moving towards insuring more people than ever before! That is good news, but there is much to be done. The ACA is not a perfect law, but it is our best opportunity to date to ensure that more Americans receive health insurance coverage.
Where We Are Now
At present, there are approximately 50 million uninsured people in the U.S. When the ACA has been fully implemented, we are hoping that number will drop to 25 million uninsured, a definite improvement, but by no means a cure!
One of the hallmarks of the ACA is the “medical home.” Medical home can be defined as follows (via National Center for Medical Home Implementation):
A medical home is not a building, house, hospital, or home healthcare service, but rather an approach to providing comprehensive primary care.
In a patient-centered medical home model, the primary care team works in partnership with the patient and the family to assure that all of the medical and non-medical needs of the patient are met.
Through this partnership the care team can help the family/patient access, coordinate, and understand specialty care, educational services, out-of-home care, family support, and other public and private community services that are important for the overall health of the patient and family.
This model ensures that patients receive comprehensive, high-quality and cost-effective care by a care team that is coordinated and communicating.
Do you have a medical home? When choosing a primary care physician, a community health center, or free clinic, you can become part of a care team that will assist you in maintaining good health.
If you need assistance with finding a community health center or free clinic in your area, please visit our website at www.needymeds.org. We can help you find your medical home.
2 Comments
I love this approach. Ive heard about medical groups who employ patient advocates whose job it is to work with patients proactively to help them be active in their own wellness. I would love to do something like that!
We are developing a Certificate Program for healthcare providers who want to learn more about Safety Net Resources for their patients. Keep checking our website for updates!
http://www.needymeds.org