Fairfax, Va., Panel Focuses on Local Health Care ‘Crisis’
A panel of care providers, lawmakers and government officials last week gathered in Fairfax, Va., to discuss the future of health care locally, the Washington Post reports. The panel discussion was hosted by Fairfax Community Health Care Network, which oversees the county's three free health care clinics, which provide care for approximately 14,000 patients annually. Panelists discussed the growing number of uninsured in Fairfax and in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region; more than 15% of Washington, D.C., residents and 12.8% of Maryland and Virginia residents lack health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Participants also discussed the cost of treating the rising numbers of uninsured that hospitals assume. Five hospitals in Inova Health System, the region's second-largest hospital chain, spent $82 million last year to treat the uninsured, according to the Post. Fairfax County funds the three free clinics at a cost of approximately $9 million per year; however, state budget woes have affected clinic operations, and as a result they no longer accept Medicaid or Medicare beneficiaries, the Post reports. "We don't know what it will take for people to comprehend the magnitude of the health care crisis," Christina Stevens, director of the Fairfax health care network, said, adding, "It's almost like the whole system will implode" (Cho, Washington Post, 5/16).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.