Recession frays a health care safety net for low-income Nevadans Las Vegas Sun
The weight of the recession is pushing Nevada Health Centers , the medical safety net for tens of thousands of low-income Nevadans, to the financial breaking point, officials with the nonprofit organization say.
The number of patient visits is up 25 percent to about 205,000 a year, and an increasing number of them — almost three in 10 — are uninsured, Nevada Health Centers CEO Tom Chase said. And when the uninsured agree to greatly reduced payment plans, they frequently stiff the agency.
The result is what Chase diplomatically calls a “cash pinch.” The organization is behind in paying its own bills, has had to restrict access for patients who don’t pay their bills and came close to not meeting payroll, he said.
This month the federal government gave Nevada Health Centers temporary reprieve in the form of a $1.7 million advance on a $35 million, five-year grant. Now the organization has about $750,000 in the bank, with expectations that it will increase, Chase said.
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