After eight years of stagnant growth during Obamacare’s coverage expansion, free and charitable health clinics are experiencing a major growth spurt amid Republican efforts to slash health coverage for the poor.
A safety-net health care provider for low-income Americans, the nation’s 1,200-plus free clinics typically are underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed by an outsized mission that far outstrips their limited resources. Forty-three percent have annual operating budgets under $100,000.
