title: Commentary on Gurewich et Al, "comparative performance of community health centers and other usual sources of primary care": community health centers: valuable partners for state medicaid programs.
abstract: Community health centers are well positioned to bring needed primary care to populations experiencing the most acute health disparities. Health centers already care for 1 in 7 Medicaid beneficiaries and 1 in 5 low-income, uninsured individuals. And they generate $24 billion in annual savings to the entire health care system, including $6 billion for Medicaid programs. Health center patients are distinctly different from patients of other providers, and successfully meet the challenges associated with serving those who have special needs that require more time and resources to address. For this reason, health centers provide a much more comprehensive array of services, both health care and services that facilitate access to care, compared to private practice physicians. With more beneficiaries joining the Medicaid rolls under health reform, and the limited number of providers available to serve the most complex, hard-to-reach, and underserved patients, health centers will play an increasingly important partnership role with state Medicaid programs. Continued investments are necessary to effectively serve at-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: National Association of Community Health Centers, Washington, DC, USA. mproser@nachc.org
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Proser
authors.forename: Jose E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Camacho
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edraos
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stangis
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011320:Primary Health Care