Dear Friends, 

 

One watchword for HCH these days is uncertainty. The Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act this month, the Presidential and Congressional elections this fall, and the decisions that States will make about their Medicaid programs will have direct and momentous impact on our homeless neighbors and on the health care projects that serve them. As I write this, we don't know how any of that will shake out. 

 

Still, excitement and hope are the other words for this time in the history of Health Care for the Homeless. As a movement, we are preparing for the long-awaited day when most of our clients will have health insurance. A huge effort is required to make it work, and the specific challenges are more than can be listed here, but the bottom line is that people without homes will have far better access to care when they get Medicaid in 2014. At every level of our work, from federal advocacy to issue-specific technical assistance, the National HCH Council is anticipating and supporting changes that are needed to make it so. 

 

We are particularly encouraged that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has recognized in a grant to the National HCH Council the significance of how people without homes are served by the current health care system. Our proposal to examine the value of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in diverting homeless frequent utilizers of hospitals into more effective primary care will demonstrate that we can improve access, improve care, and reduce costs, the "triple aim" of health care reform. The National Consumer Advisory Board provided the initial impetus to develop CHW programming in the Council, and our Practice-Based Research Network will oversee the project. A second proposal to similarly demonstrate the value of Medical Respite Care is still pending. 

 

New support from the Butler Family Fund will allow us to train consumers and other advocates in influencing the critical state-level decisions that will shape the health reforms. 

 

The Council presented an amazing National HCH Conference and Policy Symposium last month. The program was broad and deep, with 700 participants (a third of them presenters) who all contributed to a palpable spirit of inclusion, camaraderie, and commitment to mission. Workshop handouts and videos of the plenary sessions are available on our website, of course. If you missed the conference, you might come to one of our regional trainings or partake of our educational efforts through a webinar. 

 

In all of this, people who are ill and without homes, and agencies and clinicians who serve them, are at the center. We are grateful for the interest and support that you express through your donations and membership, and for your active participation in the many efforts to break the deadly links between poor health and homelessness.