The Basic Idea:
Work with health care institutions and community groups to decrease the cost of health care and improve access for low-income families.
How it works—The Essentials:
Many models exist including:
- State Children’s Health Insurance Programs—which increase access to insurance for a state’s children.
- Cost reduction initiatives whereby a community group negotiates with health care providers on behalf of uninsured low-income families to reduce costs and/or get them similar deals to those of insured families.
- Low-cost and free community clinics.
- Rural telemedicine initiatives.
Who Does It:
Depending on the initiative, those involved may include:
- Nonprofit organizations
- State legislatures and state agencies
- City and county government units
- Health care institutions
- Businesses
Pros:
It addresses one of the most serious issues compromising families’ financial health.
Poor health outcomes are a primary cause of many families’ economic problems—if you fix this, many other problems will fix themselves.
Cons:
Most approaches are band-aids for a seriously broken US health care system.
The more comprehensive the approach, the more expensive.
Simplicity Index:
The Toughest of Tough Nuts to Crack. It is a real tooth-breaker.
Examples and Resources:
In rural Iowa, Barnabas Uplift, a joint program of the Lutheran, Catholic and Muslim faiths plus other organizations operates Mission Health and Mission Prescriptions which provide health care and prescription drugs discounts for low-income families.
Rural Family Economic Success Action Network 