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Doctors have the power to help their patients thrive financially

Helping families improve their wealth by preparing their taxes and claiming the earned income tax credit during a doctor visit also improves their health.
Source: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Pediatrician Michael Hole knows that helping his low-income patients stay healthy requires more than correctly diagnosing and treating their illnesses. That’s why he routinely asks families if they receive anti-poverty resources such as the federal earned income tax credit and other government benefits.

What puzzled him was why so many of his patient’s parents, many of them single mothers, weren’t signing up for programs that could help their families escape poverty and thrive. A gentle complaint from a single mother visiting Dr. Hole’s office with her toddler provided an answer. After asking about

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