The Homeless Population And The Health Care Act Essay

The Homeless Population and Barriers to Health Care There are currently 564,708 homeless individuals in the United States (U.S.), however this is just an estimate as there are probably hundreds that go uncounted, during PIT (point-in-time count) or remain unregistered with non-profit agencies providing services (The National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2016). Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) most homeless individuals did not have health insurance, as provisions for these individuals as well as the low-income population could only be accepted into the Medi-cal / Medicaid program, if they had children that were eligible. Since ACA was implemented a large percentage of the homeless are insured, but, this does not mean that the preexisting gaps and barriers to access health care do not exist. They do. Being homeless has been found to correlate to a poor health status (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2016). In fact, homeless individuals are at risk and experience more chronic illnes s than someone who has housing. Additionally, once chronic illness develops in a homeless individual, they are at higher risk for comorbid conditions, new conditions (such as skin disorders and respiratory illness) and an acceleration in the development of their disease(s). Current barriers include: a mistrust of the medical community, not having a primary physician, not following through on regular medical appointments, and lack of a support system; all of these having the potential to causeShow MoreRelatedVulnerable Population the homeless vetrans Essay1728 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ A Vulnerable Population the Homeless Veterans Patricia Dilbert NUR/440 April 7, 2014 Deanna Radford, MSN, RN, CNE A Vulnerable Population the homeless Veterans In this presentation, we will explore a vulnerable population with the focus on the homeless veterans. According to Mckinney Act†(1987) A homeless person is one who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. One who has a primary nighttime residence that is a supervised publicly or privately operatedRead MoreThe Emergency Department Is The Unofficial Primary Care Facility For The Homeless880 Words   |  4 Pagesdisease, access to primary care, domestic violence, abuse, and intergenerational poverty are all factors contributing to the1.5 million people who experience homelessness each year (Doran et al., 2013; Zlotnick, Zerger, Wolfe, 2013). Compared to 12.3% of the general population, 44% of homeless people rate their health status as fair/poor (Seiler Moss, 2012). This statistic falls in line with research done by Zlotnick et al. (2013), which explains that the homeless population has higher rates of hypertensionRead MoreA Brief Note On Preventative Medicine And Education1130 Words   |  5 PagesEducation Poor health and homelessness has been connected through multiple studies. Having poor health can cause homelessness. On the flip side, being homeless can also cause poor health. Being homeless brings a list of complications including limited access to getting proper health care. This causes the health of the homeless population in the United States to be worse than that of the general population. Common health problems in the homeless population include: mental health problems, substanceRead MoreHealthcare and the Homeless Geriatric Population738 Words   |  3 PagesAmerica’s homeless. For a long time, the homeless were amongst some of the very few who did not qualify for quality healthcare services. 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