To amplify strobusguy's excellent report.
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"I believe I'm going to be a Democrat"
That's the report from Kentucky as detailed in the Washington Post about what's happening at the clinics that were set up first.
Soon, Ronald Hudson walked in.
“Okay,” Lively began. “What Hudsons are you kin to?”
“R.T., Uncle Lenny . . .” said Hudson, a skinny 35-year-old who worked as an assistant director at the senior center and had just been released from the hospital after a blood-sugar spike.
He’d never had insurance before and said his hospital bills were up to $23,000 at this point.
“Good night,” Lively said, tapping in his information.
Kids: five. Salary: about $14,000 before taxes.
“You’re going to qualify for a medical card,” she told Hudson.
“Well, thank God,” Hudson said, laughing. “I believe I’m going to be a Democrat.”
Oh, you forgot about the health centers? Those were one of the first parts of the ACA. Georgia could turn up its nose because each of its 159 counties already had a functional health department.
Today, approximately 1,200 health centers operate nearly 9,000 service delivery sites that provide care to more than 21 million patients in every U.S. State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin.
Overall, since the beginning of 2009, health centers have increased the total number of patients served on an annual basis by 4 million people, increasing the number of patients served from 17.1 million to 21.1 million annually.
During this time, health centers have also added more than 35,000 new full‐time positions, increasing their employment from 113,000 to more than 148,000 staff nationwide.
A little history:
The Affordable Care Act established the Community Health Center Fund that provides $11 billion over 5 a year period for the operation, expansion, and construction of health centers throughout the Nation.
• $9.5 billion is targeted to:
o Support ongoing health center operations.
o Create new health center sites in medically underserved areas.
o Expand preventive and primary health care services, including oral health, behavioral
health, pharmacy, and/or enabling services, at existing health center sites.
• $1.5 billion will support major construction and renovation projects at community health centers nationwide.
No wonder Republicans are opposed to the PPACA. Once insurance kicks in, health care for poor people will be removed from their bailiwick. That is, the funding will no longer be subject to Congressional bribery and threats. The Congress critters will have privatized themselves right out of influence.
Obviously, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
5:13 AM PT: Thanks for the rec list. I normally don't pimp posts, but I think it's important that this aspect of the ACA get promoted.
Mon Nov 25, 2013 at 4:52 AM PT: Since this is still on the rec list, I'm going to add this not to be missed video