One in five Americans is uninsured, according to Gallup.

Furthermore, The American Medical Group Association says that “most medical groups are operating in the red. The way this dynamic plays out in physician practices varies depending on who you ask.”

“FierceHealthcare” recently reported that in states in which the number of uninsured patients is the highest, such as California, those many folks in physician services are trying to accommodate the uninsured by providing healthcare advice over the phone.

“USA Today” recently ran an article that noted that hospital physicians even go as far as working with drug representatives to obtain free prescription samples for uninsured patients.

At the same time that physician practices are struggling, many physicians are still doing their best to provide adequate patient care to those who don’t have the means to pay medical and prescription bills.

Ada Marin, a San Diego-based family physician, told “USA Today,” that she “will lower charges for patients or accept a $10-per-month payment plan rather than see her patients forgo care.”

“When there is a costly procedure, they won’t do it,” she said. “That’s something we see every day–people going without medication or taking it every other day.”

Bottom line: it is refreshing to see that during economic hardships, there are physicians who are still willing to make sacrifices in order to provide the best care possible to their patients.