A new study by the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services has concluded that expanding health centers to reach 20 million patients would be a very smart health reform strategy.
The study says that expanding health centers to 20 million more patients as part of the reform could save $212 billion from 2010 through 2019. The dollar value of such savings far exceeds the $38.8 billion expected cost of building the centers, researchers note.
In their brief, researchers point out that health centers currently serve 19 million patients, which already have generated health system savings of $24 billion this year due to the fact that overall medical expenses are lower for such patients.
It also notes that if health centers served 20 million additional patients, Medicaid savings would reach $59 billion over the 10-year time frame.
To learn more about the study:
- read this Healthcare Finance News piece