Uncompensated Care Fund – How it Helps Our Patients
The Uncompensated Care Fund at North Side Christian Health Center (NSCHC) helps sustain access to care for individuals and families who would otherwise go without essential health services. The fund provides critical support that sustains NSCHC’s mission of delivering compassionate, accessible care to the community by helping subsidize services for patients who are uninsured or underinsured and by covering services that insurance does not reimburse.
Uninsured patients at NSCHC are able to receive care through a sliding fee scale, ensuring that cost does not prevent them from seeking timely medical, dental, or behavioral health services. The Uncompensated Care Fund helps offset the cost of these visits and supports additional services that address barriers to care and overall well-being.
These uncompensated services include programs that respond directly to patients’ social and health needs. Through NSCHC’s Food Box Distribution Program, patients are screened for food insecurity during visits using a Social Determinants of Health survey. When a patient identifies as food insecure, a Community Health Worker gathers household information and provides food boxes or food bucks to support access to nutritious food. The fund also helps cover interpretation services for patients with limited English proficiency and for those with hearing impairments, transportation assistance for qualifying patients who might otherwise miss appointments, and certain dental procedures not covered by insurance.
For example, while Pennsylvania Medicaid (Medical Assistance) provides comprehensive dental coverage for children under age 21, adult coverage is limited primarily to preventive care, x-rays, fillings, and extractions. Procedures such as crowns, implants, and root canals are not covered. Many dental practices do not accept Medicaid due to low reimbursement rates; however, NSCHC accepts Medicaid for all dental services and often relies on the Uncompensated Care Fund to help cover the gap when patients require treatments beyond what Medicaid will pay for.
Currently, approximately 13% of patients receiving care at NSCHC are uninsured, and this number is expected to increase as Insurance Marketplace premiums rise and Medicaid eligibility requirements become more restrictive. Strengthening the Uncompensated Care Fund will help ensure continuity of care for patients who unexpectedly find themselves uninsured and allow NSCHC to reduce financial barriers so patients can receive timely, preventive, and ongoing treatment regardless of their ability to pay.
These resources also support enrollment and navigation efforts led by a newly hired, Pennie-certified social worker, who helps patients explore coverage options and maintain insurance when possible. Through the Uncompensated Care Fund, NSCHC remains committed to removing financial and systemic barriers to care and advancing health equity across the community.
