JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For some Jacksonville residents, the cost of healthcare has become impossible to ignore.
As insurance premiums rise and household budgets tighten, some people are finding themselves forced to choose between paying bills and getting the care they need.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
At Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville, that reality is showing up every day.
“Unfortunately, right now the demand for our services is very high,” Jennifer Ryan, the nonprofit’s CEO, said.
Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville provides free healthcare to qualifying uninsured workers. Ryan said the organization has seen demand increase as healthcare costs continue to climb and subsidies that helped some residents pay for insurance through the Affordable Care Act have expired.
“So many individuals in our community were paying $150 a month,” Ryan said. “Those subsidies went away, and their monthly rate in some individuals went up to $1,200 a month.”
2023 STORY: ‘Our patients pay nothing:’ Jacksonville clinic offering free health care to working class
The clinic is expected to serve more than 1,500 patients this year.
Ryan said access to healthcare is only part of the challenge facing many of the people who walk through the clinic’s doors. Prescription medications can also be difficult to afford.
“One of our primary goals was to keep people out of the emergency room for things that could be managed with a primary care physician in a primary care setting by providing them with a medical home,” Ryan said.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Action News Jax used GoodRx to compare the cash prices of three commonly prescribed medications: atorvastatin, a cholesterol medication; lisinopril, a blood pressure medication; and metformin, a diabetes treatment.
The results followed a similar pattern across all three drugs. Depending on the retailer, a month’s supply ranged from less than $10 to about $30. That means some patients could pay three times more for the same prescription simply based on where they fill it.
But for some people, even the lowest prices can be out of reach.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Ryan said many of the people seeking help are working, employed, and doing their best to make ends meet. But when healthcare costs rise, the cost of a trip to the doctor, insurance premiums, and prescription medications can quickly become overwhelming.
Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville provides free healthcare and prescription medications to qualifying patients for free.
People interested in learning whether they qualify for services can find more information through Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville’s patient application page: Volunteers in Medicine Jacksonville patient information.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
