## Seattle Clinics Prepare for Surge in uninsured Patients
Seattle-area community health centers are preparing for a significant increase in patients as an inevitable result of changes to Medicaid and the elimination of federal subsidies for health insurance marketplace plans. Approximately 380,000 Washington state residents are projected to lose health coverage due to these federal adjustments.
HealthPoint, a network of 20 community health centers – 18 located in South King County – anticipates a ample rise in demand for its services. “We serve everyone in our community, regardless of their ability to pay or weather they have insurance coverage,” explains Lisa Yohalem, HealthPoint’s CEO. “And so, as more people become uninsured in our community, demand for our services will increase.”
A large portion of HealthPoint’s patient base – roughly three-quarters – currently relies on Medicaid. Many of these individuals are expected to lose benefits, including legally authorized immigrants who no longer meet eligibility requirements. Others may struggle to comply with a new rule requiring documentation of work history or reasons for inability to work every six months. Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation (https://www.kff.org/medicaid/understanding-the-intersection-of-medicaid-and-work-an-update/) indicates that the majority of Medicaid recipients already work or have a qualifying reason for not working, and previous attempts to implement similar work requirements have led to coverage losses.
Regardless of the reason for coverage loss, HealthPoint will no longer receive payment for the care provided to these newly uninsured patients. Yohalem stated the institution plans to seek donations to offset these costs.
Access to healthcare beyond basic primary care will be notably challenging for those without insurance. “Anything beyond primary care we woudl refer out for,” Yohalem said. “And there are very, very, very few options for folks who are uninsured to be able to access those services, [such as] an endocrinologist or a rheumatologist. If you’re diagnosed with cancer, you’ve lost your coverage for that care.”
Health officials anticipate that many individuals will delay seeking care until their conditions become severe, ultimately leading to increased reliance on emergency room services.”When people don’t have health insurance,” Yohalem said,”they usually go without care – and eventually end up in the ER,once they’re very,very ill.”
