Homelessness the Cost of Health Care

Access to care is defined as the availability of healthcare services when they are needed (Shi & Singh, 2012 p. 493). The homeless usually lack access to consistent, quality healthcare due to a lack of finances, lack of transportation, lack of adequate providers and a lack of compassion. Being homeless is often due to a lack of employment which leads to a lack of finances and health insurance. The lack of insurance leads to lack of access to care and medicine. The homeless lack transportation to available healthcare. They lack the funds and access to vehicles to get them to their appointments on time and consistently (Nickasch &Marnocha, 2009).

The homeless often suffer from mental illness and substance abuse. These problems require a mixture of specialized care and training which is often lacking in the areas that have high concentrations of homeless. These providers require compensation that economically deprived populations such as the homeless lack (Woollcot, 2008). Finally, the homeless are acutely sensitive to the lack of compassion they receive from providers. This lack of compassion becomes a barrier to care by stopping them from seeking out help because of how they are made to feel when they do attempt to access care (Nickasch & Marnocha, 2009). It is important to look at the many reasons different populations lack care.

Homelessness and health care are closely knit. Poor health is both a reason an outcome of homelessness. The National Health Care for the Homeless Council (2008) estimates that 70% of Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) clients do not have health insurance and approximately 14% of people treated by homeless health care programs are children under the age of 15 ("Health Care and Homelessness," n.d).

Insufficient health insurance is itself a cause for much homelessness. Many individuals without health insurance are also low income. These people do not have adequate resources to pay for health insurance or healthcare on their own. A serious injury or illness in the family could result in insurmountable expenses for hospitalizations, tests, and treatment. This forces many to make a choice between hospital bills and rent ("Health Care and Homelessness," n.d).

Homeless individuals are severely lacking in the financial resources to afford healthcare. According to Shi& Singh (2012), “Only 20% receive income maintenance, and only 26% have health insurance”.Even those with full insurance coverage face the issue of providing copayments, which is not financially feasible. Many homeless will continue to remain uncovered and unable receive federal assistance due to federal restrictions requiring a physical street address.

Without the options to pay for or receive healthcare insurance, many homeless use the emergency room of hospitals as their first line of healthcare. Using emergency services is not the most effective form of care