Me: What are the biggest affects of poverty that you have seen working in a pediatric clinic?
Trisha: Our families that are more impoverished are actually more likely to receive assistance because they qualify for Medicaid but those that are just barely over the income limit do not get assistance for services. These families still need help but the limits that are put on aid leave a lot of our patients having to pay hefty bills because they are not poor enough. It's really quite sad.
Me: So, Medicaid and medical assistance programs are not all they are cracked up to be? How does that affect your clinic?
Trisha: My typical case load is ninety percent non-insured and Medicaid has severely reduced who and what they will cover. Being non-profit, the patient gets the treatment they need but the hospital still has to write the amount off to absorb the cost instead of getting paid. The lack of income has caused hiring freezes within the organization and in some cases furloughs at some clinics. We would hate to turn patients away but the money won't last forever.
Me: With many of these patients not able to afford insurance, what other affects of lack of income do you see in your clinic?
Trisha: We can really only assume what these families struggle with outside of the clinic. We see unhealthy eating habits, many kids come in with snacks like brownies or candy. Many of our families are single parent and low income, it can be easier and cheaper for these parents to buy fast food for their children than to make a nutritious meal. Outside of that there is not a lot that can be revealed for the privacy of our patients.
Trisha: Our families that are more impoverished are actually more likely to receive assistance because they qualify for Medicaid but those that are just barely over the income limit do not get assistance for services. These families still need help but the limits that are put on aid leave a lot of our patients having to pay hefty bills because they are not poor enough. It's really quite sad.
Me: So, Medicaid and medical assistance programs are not all they are cracked up to be? How does that affect your clinic?
Trisha: My typical case load is ninety percent non-insured and Medicaid has severely reduced who and what they will cover. Being non-profit, the patient gets the treatment they need but the hospital still has to write the amount off to absorb the cost instead of getting paid. The lack of income has caused hiring freezes within the organization and in some cases furloughs at some clinics. We would hate to turn patients away but the money won't last forever.
Me: With many of these patients not able to afford insurance, what other affects of lack of income do you see in your clinic?
Trisha: We can really only assume what these families struggle with outside of the clinic. We see unhealthy eating habits, many kids come in with snacks like brownies or candy. Many of our families are single parent and low income, it can be easier and cheaper for these parents to buy fast food for their children than to make a nutritious meal. Outside of that there is not a lot that can be revealed for the privacy of our patients.
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