Characteristics of Health Care Financial Assistance Programs Serving the Most Populous U.S. Counties.

Abstract

County-based health care financial assistance programs offer improved access to health care for indigent populations by reducing or eliminating costs to receive care. We examined health care financial assistance programs serving the 10 most populous U.S. counties. We found that the percent enrollment in a county's program is strongly correlated with the percent uninsured (r=.86) and the percent undocumented (r=.83), and moderately correlated with the percent indigent (r=.43) in a county, suggesting the importance of health care financial assistance programs for these groups. Furthermore, the typical county-based health care financial assistance program covers the same income range (0-138% federal poverty level) and offers similar benefits (including coverage of emergency care and inpatient care) as Medicaid. Counseling services are frequently available to assist applicants. These characteristics allow them to serve as an alternative source of health care funding to those who are ineligible for Medicaid coverage.