Health center-based medical-legal partnerships: Where they are, how they work, and how they are funded

The integration of legal services in health centers through MLP has the potential to resolve some of the most intractable social problems that our nation’s vulnerable and underserved patients face. Health centers represent the fastest growing sector for MLP adoption across the health care system; the number of health centers operating MLPs in 2016 represents nearly double the number in 2014. Today, 113 health centers operate MLPs, and 38 additional health centers are planning new MLPs. This issue brief from the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership describes how and where these partnerships operate, and how state primary care associations are supporting these programs. It also discusses how health-center based medical-legal partnerships are financed, with a spotlight on four states that integrate financing for legal services in Medicaid payment arrangements.