Keywords

 

Authors

  1. Shi, Leiyu DrPH, MBA
  2. Politzer, Robert M. PhD
  3. Regan, Jerri RN, MS, MPA
  4. Lewis-Idema, Deborah MSc
  5. Falik, Marilyn PhD

Abstract

This article examined the impact of managed care involvement on vulnerable populations served by community health centers (CHCs), while controlling for center rural-urban location and size, and found that centers involved in managed care have served a significantly smaller proportion of uninsured patients but a higher proportion of Medicaid users than those not involved in managed care. The results suggest that the increase in Medicaid managed care patients may lead to a reduced capacity to care for the uninsured, thus hampering CHCs from expanding access to health care for the medically indigent.