Overview

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable. HRSA accomplishes its mission, in large part, by providing grants to community based, not-for-profit, health care providers, in every state and U.S. territory, who commit to provide health care to uninsured people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and pregnant women, mothers and children or who train health professionals and improve systems of care in rural communities. HRSA distributes approximately 90% of its funding in grants.

Many of the grants awarded by HRSA, especially those to direct service grantees, require as a condition of grant award, that the grantee seek whatever third party reimbursement might be available to pay for covered services to covered populations before utilizing grant funds to pay for services or populations not otherwise covered by public or private health insurance e.g. uninsured or underinsured individuals. Thus, most HRSA grantees rely on multiple sources of funds to maintain their operations, only part of which comes from HRSA grants. HRSA provides third party reimbursement resources to its grantees to help them improve their third party reimbursement so they can diversify their revenue sources, secure their long-term viability, improve access to health care, and maintain or expand their services to vulnerable populations.