A New Year

A new year inevitably makes us focus on what the future might hold. This year especially causes me to reflect on what the future of free clinics is, and what my role will be in that future.  

The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, and honestly, 2014 seemed like a very distant future. But, here it is. The major provisions of the Affordable Care Act are now in place. People can access insurance by going on the healthcare.gov website – and even with all the challenges and difficulties – they are accessing health insurance. It is so exciting to see people who would never have been able to purchase health insurance now able to find a product that is affordable, that does not exclude their pre-existing conditions and will cover all of their healthcare needs.

Yes, I am a Pollyanna – I am excited about the Affordable Care Act and the access it gives to people. But, I am not an idiot. I completely understand that the Affordable Care Act does not address many of the issues we would like to see addressed – such as the rising cost of premiums for those of us who do not qualify for the tax subsidies; the obscene amount of money made by insurance companies; the rising cost of care. But, realistically, we have to start somewhere. And getting people access to care is a great starting place in my opinion.

I firmly believe that we are all better off when we have a healthy community. Healthy people make better workers, better students and better citizens. I cannot think of one reason to deny people access to healthcare.

So, what is the future of free clinics? My crystal ball says… Oh, yeah. I don’t have a crystal ball. So, I have to go with what my gut says. And my gut says the need is not going to go away. People will continue to be uninsured; many will have gaps – deductibles that they can’t afford, co-pays that mean making a decision between eating and taking their medications, and services that just aren’t covered. As for our clinic, the board is having that ongoing discussion. We will see how all of this plays out, see what the needs are, and change or adapt as we need to meet those needs. Our mission has always been to help people. That won’t change. What we do on a daily/weekly basis may change.

One of the programs we are excited about is our Freedom From Smoking group. This is a program designed to help people quit smoking using a group support system. We have been offering this program periodically for the past six months. The next group starts later this month.

We can choose to get bogged down and feel negative about everything, or we can choose to be excited about new possibilities. I think I will err on the side of getting excited. Makes life a lot more fun.