Can Obamacare Help the Homeless Get Medical Care?

As we head into the weekend, something to think about:

On a recent morning, Mack and Juan Rivera, a patient enrollment and eligibility manager with JWCH, walk down crowded 5th street, near the Midnight Mission. Their goal is to invite people into the clinic to enroll in Healthy Way LA. About 35 people a week are enrolled, Rivera said.

“One of the biggest comments I get is nothing is free,” Rivera said. “We say this is free. It’s based on your income and where you live.”

But there are many obstacles for the homeless, including proof of citizenship and ID. Others simply don’t know about the Affordable Care Act.

When Mack tells Phillip Evans, an older man with a heart condition who uses a walker, that he qualifies for free health care, Evans places his hand to his chest and bends forward. Sharon Dike, a volunteer with AmeriCares who goes out to Skid Row to bring people to the JWCH Institute clinic, steadies him.

“Whoa,” Evans said. “I didn’t know anything about that.”

Homeless, Poor Covered Under Affordable Care Act, But Many Don’t Know It

Do you think that Obamacare can provide any real help to the homeless? Tell us about it in our discussion forum!

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