Tackle Homelessness, Lower Health Care Costs
Published October 19, 2009 @ 07:07AM PT
Homelessness and health care are inextricably linked; the conversation about one simply cannot happen without addressing the other. A thorough understanding of the health costs associated with homelessness must be included in the debate surrounding health care reform. I think HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said it best: "If we want to talk health care reform, including lowering costs, we must tackle homelessness'
Homelessness and health care are cyclically linked. Homelessness can be a burden on our health care system, and a lack of health care can cause/aggravate homelessness. These are the points made resoundingly clear by Nan Roman, President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in a Huffington Post piece this week.
She noted four important points that should be circulated widely:
1. Not everyone living in poverty is eligible for Medicaid.
Non-disabled, childless adults are not eligible. Mothers with health conditions with children in healthcare are not eligible. Young adults aging out of foster care are not eligible. The list goes on.
2. Not every eligible homeless person is enrolled in Medicaid.
A 1996 nationwide study found that only 25 percent of single homeless adults were enrolled in Medicaid. So what do the remaining 75 percent do when they need to be treated? See point number three.
3. Leaving homeless people uninsured is costly and ineffective.
With fewer resources and less access to medical care, uninsured homeless people will often leave medical conditions untreated. When their health becomes so poor that they do seek treatment, they will often go to the emergency room. This is taxing for both a person's health, hospital resources, and communities who must foot the bill.
4. Poor health and expensive healthcare are causes of homelessness.
Untreated illness leads to disability, which leads to an inability to work, which leads to job loss. Unemployment remains the leading cause of homelessness. Medical expenses - insured or not - are the leading cause of bankruptcy. In other words, health care reform may have a huge, unintended effect: preventing homelessness.
Health care reform has the potential to benefit many people, but particularly those who are most vulnerable among us.
Image: Center for American Progress
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Comments (6)
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Author
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Shannon has worked in homeless shelters and service organizations in San Francisco, the Triangle region of North Carolina, and currently in the greater Boston area. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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I agree that cost-benefit analysis is critical to getting everyone behind the idea of housing the homeless.
Posted by Kevin Barbieux on 10/19/2009 @ 11:19AM PT
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Great article. It makes no sense, both on a humane and an economic level, to have thousands of homeless people accessing health care through emergency rooms. These are some of our most vulnerable Americans, including thousands of homeless children. Let's make ending homelessness a priority. If we can find the money for a bailout and for war, we can find it for humanity.
Posted by Rich Lombino on 10/20/2009 @ 09:55AM PT
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I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree!
Posted by Candyce Rice on 10/25/2009 @ 01:16PM PT
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To think that the drastic amount of people and children are living and sleeping outside, without any money, and begging in shopping malls for a meal - is so shameful in a country of "We, the People"!!! Other countries with socialized medicine, although it is added in their taxes, still they provide paid for health care. Although the homeless people, people like you or me, cannot pay, there could be emergency funds distributed throughout our country for these people. If, the price of housing was lowered in many states, the management companies would still make enough, believe me! This would help all types of homeless people with small wage jobs or degreed persons without a job. This country could hire people for a Conservation Corps - badly needed, to clean-up dead overgrowth; rebuild levies and devastated areas of our country! Thank you, Carol Baldwin
Posted by Carol Baldwin on 10/25/2009 @ 12:24PM PT
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If all hospitals had to have an urgent care clinic 6pm -6am to maintian non profit status
Costs would go way down.
Access would go way up.
ALso to note social workers and many ER's will not deal with homeless needs or the homeless and in one ER I was DENIED CARE by hours of painful delay and the diagnoses on that first visit was actually
-HOMELESS-
Please note many homeless are disabled and The advocay and funding IS for class action and developmentally delayed and blind .
There is not a single lawyer in the USA that does non employment ADA/504 ISSUES for individuals or special needs.
WDC cant talk to you refers back to the lobbyists/advocates who are not for individuals or for all on most issues.
What happened to access to MEDI-CAL BENEFITS care in CA is classic example and backfill done by group affiliation not medical need WILL BE IGNORED as we OTHERS have no representation or voice.
broken systems and federally funded advocates and non profits that discriminate in services or against individuals or do not know the laws ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
...and so far no one with a voice and acccess is speaking up about it .
Posted by DARLENE MATTHEWS on 10/25/2009 @ 12:51PM PT
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Anyone can become homeless. Don't think bad of homeless people, it could happen to you. It happened to us after our home burned. We are not homeless now but I really feel for them especially in the winter, when they are out there in the ice and snow sleeping under bridges or any where they can find to sleep.With a country like ours there should not be any homeless people, not when we can go to other countries, bonb them and then spend billions rebuilding their country.
A minister in Joplin started a shelter on Main st for the homeless. It wasn't where the nice stores were but the merchants got the building condemned saying it wasn't up to code, because they didn't think the homeless should be close enough to their businesses to be seen walking around.
That is what I call good christian folks.
Posted by Clara Montgomery on 10/25/2009 @ 03:44PM PT
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