Across the country, many free clinics that have long served the uninsured are becoming Medicaid providers.

Not to be confused with federally supported community health centers, these clinics have long been an important part of the health care safety net, and today, many are keeping their doors open, and billing Medicaid for their services, as part of an effort to ensure that their long-time patients still have access to care in communities that may not have many physicians who accept Medicaid patients.

Across the country there are about 1200 such free clinics, and while many are shutting their doors, others are changing how they do business to keep pace with the times.

Learn more about these free clinics and their evolving role in the post-Affordable Care Act era in this Kaiser Health News report.