Free clinics provide free medical, dental, mental health, and medication services to low-income uninsured individuals.
Almost all free clinics provide primary care. Most often that looks like providing preventive care for patients as well as caring for chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, COPD, and asthma. Other clinics, like Genesis, take a more holistic approach providing dental and mental healthcare as well as referrals to community resources.
To get care at a free and charitable clinic in Idaho click here to find out which clinics are near you.
Free clinics generally accept donations this separates them from charitable clinics which request a fee for their services. A patient will never be denied services because of an inability to pay for them.
Every Clinic has slightly different standards for eligibility. For example at Genesis, patients are simply required to not have any form of insurance and have an annual income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level*
*The Federal Poverty Level (FPL) is set by the minimum income that a family needs for their necessities varying by the number of people in the household.
Differences between Free & Charitable Clinics
Free Clinics
Free clinics are nonprofit healthcare organizations that provide safety-net care for the low-income and uninsured population. A patient will never be denied services because of an inability to pay for them.
Often free clinic services are facilitated by volunteers. The care provided ranges from dental, medical, behavioral health, and pharmacy services.
Organizations that meet the definition stated above, but still charge a small fee to patients, are in a few instances still called free clinics, as long as they still provide essential services regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.
Clinics are 501(c)3 tax-exempt organizations or operate as a program component or affiliate of a 501(c)3 organization.
Charitable Clinics
Charitable clinics are healthcare organizations run that provide safety-net care for low-income populations. They also provide care for people who experience financial, geographic, linguistic, or cultural barriers to accessing medical services.
Unlike entities labeled as free clinics, charitable clinics usually charge a small fee to patients, but still provide essential services regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.
Charitable clinics are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations, or operate as a program component or affiliate of a 501(c)(3) organization, and are not federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) or FQHC look-alikes.
