Celebrating Colorado’s Safety Net Clinics
By Sharon Adams, ClinicNET
Colorado’s Community Safety Net Clinics (CSNCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) are celebrating the 4th Annual Safety Net Clinic Week, August 19-23. Almost 100 clinics serve approximately 325,000 patients and provide an estimated 750,000 visits annually to individuals and families that are low income, underinsured and uninsured and to those residing in rural and frontier communities. Patients who are uninsured and do not qualify for public insurance are often asked to pay for services as a flat fee or on a sliding fee scale based on their income level, and some clinics are free.
The role of the clinics is becoming more essential with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and in light of Colorado’s commitment to expand access and capacity, improve health system integration and quality, and enhance value. Patients eligible but not enrolled in public insurance programs will receive increased assistance to access care at CSNCs and RHCs. Medicaid expansion and the opportunity for patients and families to purchase health insurance through Colorado’s health insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, will require increased patient education and navigation. Some clinics will serve as assistance sites to enroll Coloradans in health coverage and they will also be managing the anticipated movement of patients between different types of coverage usually due to changes in income or employment.
We know that despite implementation of the ACA there will still be Coloradans who are uninsured and that those who gain coverage may still be unable to access to care due to various reasons, such as lack of transportation to a provider or lack of providers nearby. These realities further highlight the important and unique role of CSNCs and RHCs in Colorado’s health care safety net. Let’s celebrate that role during Safety Net Clinic Week and continue to support a diverse health care safety net in Colorado!
If you are interested in learning more about this week devoted to these important health care safety net clinics, please contact me at 720-863-7802 or [email protected].
