The thing about the homeless being a drain for CA is that they really don’t utilize outpatient medical like…at all. So yea they might be taxing for ER’s but not for doctor’s offices
They don’t have the phone to make the appointment, they don’t have a way to get there (although if they had a phone there are Medicaid programs to provide free transportation to medical appointments only), but really they usually just don’t give a fuck
The most common visible medical symptoms I notice on the homeless I see at work are giant seeping open sores, or adema of the legs/feet (giant swollen elephant legs/feet). In all cases I point these out, and I’ve never seen a homeless client seem to give much of a shit
So I don’t see them as taxing on outpatient medical. Shelters sometimes have small homeless-only doctor’s offices but not always. And then there’s agencies with registered nurses that drive to meet homeless where they are but these are small programs. At least in my state
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