WELCOME TO THE MEDICAL CARE MISSION
Filling the Gap
One Segment of the population has drawn a great deal of attention in recent debates on health care. Usually called the "working poor," this lower, often unnoticed, group routinely "falls through the cracks in our society." They are unable to pay for health insurance, they are not old enough for Medicare and they are not eligible for Medicaid. As a result, they lack readily available medical care and are more likely to delay seeking care, a practice that leads to higher medical costs, missed work and school absenteeism.
In 1983, the Medical Care Mission stepped forward to meet the health care needs of this group in a 22-county region, and has provided high quality medical care for over 35,000 people who have fallen through the cracks. The Mission's approach is a real improvement over the charitable care that is traditionally provided for this group, treatment that offers little patient / physician continuity. At the Mission, patients with chronic conditions are able to establish a relationship with an in-house physician who follows their case from start to finish, improving both care and patient confidence.