Medicaid

A robust Medicaid program is essential to health centers’ ability to improve the health of the nation’s medically underserved populations. Health centers currently serve as health homes for 1 in 7 Medicaid beneficiaries (7 million Medicaid patients) across the country – providing these patients with comprehensive services from primary care, to mental health and dental care, to transportation, translation and case management. 

 

Health centers’ unique health home model yields billions of dollars in system-wide savings by making care accessible, improving its coordination and management and keeping patients out of costly emergency rooms. Health centers are projected to bring more than $55 billion dollars in savings to the Medicaid program over the next five years if current health center expansion efforts stay on track. 

 

Health centers currently care for 14% of the Medicaid population with only 1% of the total U.S. Medicaid budget.