RECOMMENDED FOR THE WEEK OF 01/05-09/26. 

PLEASE DO NOT AIR AFTER JAN. 31.

HealthQ FQHC Cut Copy Script

HealthQ FQHC Feature Script (with host intro and outro)

HealthQ FQHC Webpost Copy

HealthQ FQHC Webpost Image

 

 

HEALTHQ_FQHC Cut Copy Script

TRT: :46

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who no longer has health insurance, you might be looking for an affordable place to get your care. That’s where federally qualified health centers step in.

If you’ve never heard of them … Blake Farmer from HealthQ [Health-Q] says these places specialize in helping.

FQHC_CC.wav :15

BLAKE: The office staff will usually ask for a pay stub to verify your income and then ask how many people are in your household, and then they’ll use a sliding scale to determine what you owe. … The point is they wanna work with just about anybody to make it doable.

There are about 1,400 federal health centers across the country. Many offer primary care for kids and adults, prenatal care, and even dental and mental health services. To find one in your area – just look up “federal health center.”

** NOTE: If you’d like to mention your local FQHC, find it here. **

 

 

HEALTHQ_FQHC_Feature_Script

Week of 01/05-09/26

RECOMMENDED FOR THE WEEK OF 01/05-09/26. 

PLEASE DO NOT AIR AFTER JAN. 31.

TRT: 3:33

HOST INTRO: A job loss or an unexpected change in coverage costs might mean that you’re starting the year without health insurance. If you are looking for care, there might be an affordable option near you that you’ve never heard of. Reporters Cara [CARE-uh] Anthony and Blake Farmer with our partner HealthQ [Health-Q] have more. (:20)

HealthQ_FQHC_Feature_Weekof_Jan5.wav   ……get what you need.” (3:04)

See transcript below.

HOST OUTRO: That’s Blake Farmer and Cara [CARE-uh] Anthony of HealthQ [Health-Q] — approachable guides to an unapproachable system, from WPLN and KFF Health News. (:09)

 

TRANSCRIPT:

BLAKE: Cara, I am gonna tell you four letters that can mean the difference between getting medical care or not for many Americans. Are you ready?

CARA: Hit me.

BLAKE: F-Q-H-C.

CARA: Oh, I know what you’re talking about! That’s a federally qualified health center, but I usually just call them community health centers.

BLAKE: Well, you know, most patients who go to these don’t know they’re going to an FQHC. It’s not like those letters are, uh, in the name. But the most important thing to know about these clinics is they provide care to both insured and uninsured patients at affordable costs. We talked to Eduardo Mendoza, whose girlfriend goes to ConnectUs Health in Nashville for monthly blood draws. She doesn’t have insurance. He said it would cost $700 elsewhere.

MENDOZA CLIP: With that financial assistance program that they have, it’s covered up to $30. That’s the most that she’s had to pay.

BLAKE: And if it were much more, she’d just go without.

CARA: I didn’t realize that they did lab work.

BLAKE: Yeah. They’re pretty focused on primary care usually, but also they do pediatric care, prenatal. A lot of them have imaging, labs, even a pharmacy. Some clinics also do dental care and mental health services. They’re trying to be a one-stop shop. The one thing they don’t do usually is emergency care.

CARA: Okay, so Eduardo gave us the amount of $30 for blood draws. How did they decide that amount? And does everybody pay something different?

BLAKE: Well, the big question is if you have insurance. But if you don’t, the office staff will usually ask for a pay stub to verify your income and then ask how many people are in your household, and then they’ll use a sliding scale to determine what you owe.

CARA: So it’s not free.

BLAKE: Well, usually not. But the point is they wanna work with just about anybody to make it doable.

CARA: You know, for my reporting and talking to people in my life, I don’t think a lot of people know that these community health centers exist. Any idea why?

BLAKE: I spoke to Katina Beard of the Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, another FQHC. For one, you know, they don’t have a marketing budget, but she also said there are people who are just skeptical of getting care at a low cost clinic.

KATINA BEARD CLIP: I think people believe that the services are substandard in some way, and I have to tell them that we are accredited just as your private physician offices. Our staff are board certified, and so there is no difference between the quality of care that you will receive at a federally qualified health center versus another entity.

CARA: Okay, so these clinics sound like a good option, but let’s keep it 100 Blake. People aren’t going to remember ‘FQHC.’ So what’s really the best way to find one?

BLAKE: Alright, take it to the Google and Google ‘Federal Health Center near me’ and a locator should pop up.There are 1400 in the US so chances are one, or maybe even a few of them will be near you.

CARA: You know, it can be really scary not to have health insurance and a lot of people sit around and suffer, but it’s good to know that these community health centers are a place where you can go and get what you need.

 

 

HealthQ FQHC Webpost Copy

HED: HealthQ: If you’ve lost your health insurance, consider these federally funded clinics

BYLINE: Blake Farmer, WPLN News

Many Americans are facing the new year newly uninsured. 

An estimated 4.8 million people are projected to lose health coverage following the end of a COVID-era subsidies that reduced the monthly cost for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, according to the Urban Institute. 

The good news is, there are hundreds of community health centers around the country that specialize in offering affordable care, regardless of patients’ ability to pay. 

They’re called FQHCs — federally qualified health centers — and offer multiple kinds of care, including primary care, pediatrics, prenatal, and pharmacies. Some have imaging, labs, dental care and mental health services as well.  

People and policy

FQHCs receive funding from a division of the Department of Health and Human Services that saw sweeping staff cuts this summer. A huge part of their budget comes from patients who pay with Medicaid — and the Republican-led “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” is expected to significantly reduce Medicaid enrollment. Paired with the millions of people losing private coverage through the ACA Marketplace, FQHCs are bracing for a surge in patients without insurance.

Here are three things to know about FQHCs:

• These centers have fully accredited staff.

Katina Beard, the CEO of Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center in Nashville, says she knows some people are skeptical of getting care at a low-cost clinic and believe “that the services are substandard in some way.” But the staff is all board-certified, she says. “I have to tell them that we are accredited just as your private physician office is.”

• You’re charged on a sliding scale based on your ability to pay.

When you establish care at an FQHC, the office staff will usually ask for a pay stub to verify your income and then ask how many people are in your household. Then they’ll use a sliding scale to determine what you owe.

Eduardo Mendoza told HealthQ that his girlfriend goes to an FQHC in Nashville called Connectus Health for monthly blood draws that cost $30. Without insurance, he said, it would normally cost up to $700, an amount that she would not be able to afford.

• To find one, look up “federal health center.”

These centers rarely advertise, due to low marketing budgets, and the alphabet soup of “FQHC” is rarely in their names. 

But there are roughly 1,400 FQHCs in the U.S., with more than 16,000 individual sites. You can find centers near you at this website — or just remember “federal health center.” These centers operate sites in all U.S. states and territories, and in both rural and urban areas. 

HealthQ is a health series from reporters Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer, your approachable guides to an unapproachable healthcare system. It’s a collaboration between Nashville Public Radio and KFF Health News. Katherine Ruppelt and Emily Siner contributed to this reporting.

 

HealthQ FQHC Webpost Image

Caption: Neighborhood Health in Nashville is one of nearly 1,400 federal health centers that get funding to help patients without insurance. Credit: Blake Farmer / HealthQ