Retail clinics to gain from expansion of Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs

NEW YORK Retail-based health clinics are well positioned to gain from the expansion of Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Programs as pushed by the hospital industry to serve as a safety net for the growing number of uninsured patients and hospitals who care for them, according to a report by InsideArm.com, which covers the accounts receivable management industry.

The fact that most retail-based clinics now accept many major insurance plans as well as government sponsored Medicare, Medicaid and State Children?s Health Insurance Programs means that such clinics are well positioned as affordable, convenient and quality health care solutions for acute ailments.

Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesperson for American Health Insurance Plans, told InsideArm.com, "With healthcare costs rising at unsustainable rates, health plans are looking or affordable care options for the consumer." 

Furthermore, the convenient care industry ensures quality care through the use of electronic medical records. 

Jason Gurda, a Leerink Swann health services analyst who covers for-profit hospitals, told the publication that if more people use clinics for minor ailments, such illnesses may not turn into life threatening conditions that require a hospital stay, which may lead to even higher expenses for the hospital.