Over the past few years, things have gotten worse at the Winston-Salem Community Care Center. Less money is coming in from donations and funding while their patient load is increasing. Jim Robinson, Executive Director of the Center, said the free clinic is already seeing changes from the new healthcare reform.
“They have already started eliminating some medications. It’s because they see healthcare reform coming. They have other obligations under healthcare reform for Medicaid and Medicare patients. The bill doesn’t say anything about providing free medications to patients in free clinics,” said Robinson.
Since Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Robinson said officials at the Community Care Center in Winston-Salem have been bracing for change. He said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the new health care law is raising more questions than answers.
“There are going to be a lot of people who just fall through the cracks under this healthcare reform legislation. Do we try to take care of just those people or do we try to switch to an organization that also accepts Medicaid and Medicare but still takes care of people who don’t have the ability to have health insurance or pay for it,” said Robinson.
Physicians at The Community Care Center on New Walkertown Road provide free healthcare and dental services to more than 4,000 uninsured residents in Forsyth, Davie and Stokes Counties.
Robinson said despite insurance premiums based on income, many people still won’t be able to afford the new healthcare plans or the tax penalty for not opting into a healthcare plan. He said free clinics will remain an important resource for many people.
“There are going to be a lot more people who have insurance and they are going to be demanding services because they have the expectation now that it is their right to get those services and they have been putting off all sorts of things. They are going to be looking for medical care in a shortage situation, so I frankly don’t see how everybody is going to get the care that they are asking for,” said Robinson.
As politicians and medical experts continue sorting out the best treatments for our nation’s broken healthcare system, Robinson says the Winston-Salem Community Care Center will keep working to cast a safety net for the under and un-insured. But Robinson cautions further decreases in donations and funding will make their job increasingly harder.
