RAM: California health care clinic helps the uninsured

Americas Now

The number of U.S. citizens without health insurance has dropped dramatically in the past year, as many have joined state and federal programs resulting from the 2014 Affordable Healthcare Act. Most adults in the U.S. receive health coverage through their employer. However, thousands of low-income and unemployed adults have no health insurance coverage at all. And getting sick, is a constant fear.

Correspondent Mike Kirsch tells us about a medical organization that’s been formed to help give the uninsured a healthier future. And lessen the suffering of patients in pain. It’s called Remote Area Medical, or RAM. Mike Kirsch speaks to RAM’s founder Stan Brock and visits one of his clinics in Anaheim, California where scores of residents line up for free medical treatment.

The length of the waiting time outside a RAM clinic is determined by how many doctors are volunteering that day. The RAM staff encourages patients to bring books, games, food and water. According to a recent Gallup poll, the demographic group with the highest rate of uninsured in the U.S. is the country’s Hispanic population. While the percentage has declined six points in the past year, about 30 percent of Hispanics remain uninsured.

RAM also participates in disaster relief efforts. It is currently working with the World Health Organization to provide medical care to Nepal after it was struck by a 7.8 earthquake in April. Similarly, RAM provided medicine and health care to Haiti after it experienced a catastrophic earthquake in 2010.

Follow RAM Health Care on This Website and Twitter.

RAM: California health care clinic helps the uninsured

The number of U.S. citizens without health insurance has dropped dramatically in the past year, as many have joined state and federal programs resulting from the 2014 Affordable Healthcare Act. Most adults in the U.S. receive health coverage through their employer. However, thousands of low-income and unemployed adults have no health insurance coverage at all. And getting sick, is a constant fear.