Community health centers curb costs and lower mortality among the elderly

ANN ARBOR-Federally funded community health centers that provide medical care to underserved communities sharply reduced mortality rates at low cost, according to a new study. "Mortality rates dropped 7-to-13 percent among individuals 50 and older after CHCs started operating," said Martha Bailey, a research associate professor at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. "CHCs also cut the mortality gap between the poor and nonpoor in that age group by 20-to-40 percent." Community health centers, or CHCs, have recently taken on greater importance as part of the U.S. health care system with the recent $11 billion expansion of the program under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, Bailey said. Although CHCs have generally been thought to improve health care access and rein in costs, there has been limited evidence to support that. The study found a significant and large impact for older patients who already had health insurance through Medicare. "This is significant," Bailey said, "because it indicates that subsidies for supporting services can have large effects for individuals with good insurance." The greatest reductions were for deaths due to cardiovascular problems. Testing for, treating and managing hypertension, a common ailment among the elderly, likely played an important role, she said.