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medcaid expansion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OVER $2 BILLION A YEAR IN FREE HEALTH CARE POSSIBLE FOR POOR AMERICANS THANKS TO VOLUNTEERS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OVER $2 BILLION A YEAR IN FREE HEALTH CARE POSSIBLE FOR POOR AMERICANS THANKS TO VOLUNTEERS
SIMPLE REFORM PROTECTS AND INCENTIVIZES HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS WHEN DONATING CARE TO LOW-INCOME PATIENTS

Millions of poor Americans are still uninsured or lack access to affordable health care options, but a simple local reform is already changing thousands of lives, and if enacted across the country, could help millions, says a report released by the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) today.

The report, “Volunteer Care: Affordable Health Care Without Growing Government,” shows how every state can offer legal protections for health care professionals, to include doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, surgeons, and more, who provide free health care to low-income patients and their families. While the feds are spending billions to enroll millions in Medicaid, they are finding patients still have a lot of challenges finding providers who will see them.

Using Florida’s Volunteer Health Services program as a case study, the report shows how poor residents in the Sunshine State benefitted from $1.3 billion in donated medical goods and services between 2010 and 2014. In 2014, the state spent about $500,000 to administer the program, and volunteers came forward and provided nearly $300 million worth of care, a $614 to $1 return on their investment.

“There are so many charitable, caring people working in our health care services who want to help those in need, but feel constrained by frivolous liability concerns, which keeps them from providing valuable care to the poor,” said Tarren Bragdon, FGA CEO.

Volunteer Care reforms are incredibly popular with the public, with 84 percent of voters supporting incentivizing and protecting health care professionals who provide free treatment and supplies. If Volunteer Care reforms are widely adopted, almost 4 million Americans could benefit from greater access to health care services each year.

“We’ve already seen how transformative this program can be for people’s lives,” said Andrew Brown, a senior fellow with FGA.

“There’s the truck driver who lost his job because of severe diabetes, who was able to get free treatment under Florida’s program, and he was able to get back on the road. He now has a steady income and is able to provide stability for his family, as well as health insurance.”

How many lives could be changed in your state? See the possible impact Volunteer Care reforms could have in your state here. Read the full FGA report here.

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At FGA, we don’t just talk about changing policy—we make it happen.

By partnering with FGA through a gift, you can create more policy change that returns America to a country where entrepreneurship thrives, personal responsibility is rewarded, and paychecks replace welfare checks.