Well being care is a elementary human want, like housing or meals, but for many individuals in King County and throughout our state, it stays out of attain. In Washington, practically half one million persons are uninsured, and plenty of extra are underinsured. Nationally, the rising price of care and lowered medical health insurance choices have left thousands and thousands struggling to entry even primary providers. This isn’t only a coverage failure; it’s a disaster impacting total communities.
At Seattle/King County Clinic, the biggest clinic of its type in the USA, this disaster is seen firsthand. Yearly, hundreds of individuals line up for hours free of charge well being care throughout the four-day occasion. Sufferers hail from over 186 ZIP codes, use 50 totally different languages and are available from all walks of life. These people are our neighbors: they’re households, seniors, college students, veterans, immigrants and wage earners combating the excessive price of dwelling. Many are a part of the “lacking center”; those that make an excessive amount of to qualify for sponsored care, however not sufficient to afford the providers they want.
In Washington, the income cap to qualify for Medicaid is simply over $20,000 a yr for a single grownup, leaving many in well being care limbo. However the obstacles they face will not be simply monetary. They embody a scarcity of well being care services, suppliers and appointment availability, and restrictive insurance policy, language obstacles and entry to transportation. When individuals can’t entry preventive care, minor well being issues escalate into severe circumstances, resulting in pointless struggling, monetary hardship, long-term damage, sickness and preventable deaths. The excellent news is that within the face of systemic failures, after we come collectively as a neighborhood, we will make an actual distinction.
Every year, the clinic unites well being care organizations, civic businesses, nonprofits, companies and hundreds of volunteers to ship free dental, imaginative and prescient, medical and social providers to people who face obstacles to important well being providers. Over the previous 9 years, Seattle/King County Clinic has served 30,000 sufferers and supplied greater than $26 million in direct care. The clinic is a testomony to the ability of collective motion, proving that after we prioritize care over price, lives are modified.
Whereas Seattle/King County Clinic is a large-scale instance, throughout the state free clinics function year-round in lots of communities, utilizing volunteers and partnerships to bridge well being care gaps. However let’s be clear: These gaps shouldn’t exist. Entry shouldn’t be depending on geography, employment standing, or revenue stage. And nobody ought to have to attend for a once-a-year occasion to get well being care in one of many wealthiest international locations on the earth.
On April 7, native landmarks and buildings might be lit up in inexperienced in recognition of the pressing want to handle this disaster and work towards a future the place well being care is really accessible. That is the second to talk up and urge policymakers to guard the general public applications we’ve like Medicare and Medicaid, and handle systemic points equivalent to supplier shortages and prescription drug costs. It’s also a time to assist native organizations that present important well being care providers.
The affect of accessible well being care is obvious. When individuals obtain common medical checkups, persistent illnesses like diabetes and hypertension could be managed earlier than they turn out to be life-threatening. When dental points are addressed early, they don’t flip into infections that require emergency care. When imaginative and prescient issues are corrected, kids can reach faculty, and adults can preserve employment. A wholesome neighborhood is a stronger neighborhood.
Whereas we look forward to significant coverage adjustments on the federal and state ranges, we can’t afford to face nonetheless. We should proceed to come back collectively as a neighborhood to supply care and advocate for systemic change. Free clinics throughout Washington will proceed serving their communities, as they’ve for many years. However it’s going to take all of us to handle this disaster. Whether or not you volunteer, donate to native causes, or use your voice to advocate for change, you play a job in making certain that well being care just isn’t a privilege reserved for the few.
Entry to well being care isn’t nearly particular person well-being — it’s concerning the well being and power of our total neighborhood. And that’s one thing value combating for.
