General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSanders and Clyburn to Announce Act to Expand Community Health Center Funds at 4PM June 26
June 26, 2017
ADVISORY: Sanders and Clyburn to Announce Act to Expand Community Health Center Funds
WASHINGTON, June 26 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) will announce legislation today to dramatically expand and make permanent Community Health Center funding and programs that were created in the Affordable Care Act.
Who: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. James Clyburn
What: Press conference to introduce the Community Health Center and Primary Care Workforce Expansion Act
Where: Senate Swamp
When: Monday, June 26, 4:00 p.m.
Tom Rinaldo
(22,913 posts)And quite a contrast to the Deathcare legislation Republicans are obsessed with.
Freethinker65
(10,024 posts)Tom Rinaldo
(22,913 posts)"legislation today to dramatically expand and make permanent Community Health Center funding and programs that were created in the Affordable Care Act."
These are goals they might well pursue even if TrumpScare fails
Donkees
(31,418 posts)Excerpt:
Monday, June 26, 2017
WASHINGTON, June 26 While Republicans attempt to force through a bill that would make health care unaffordable for millions of Americans, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Assistant Democratic Leader Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) announced legislation Monday that would double the number of patients community health centers have the capacity to serve, to reach 50 million in 2028 a goal outlined in the 2016 Democratic Party platform.
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) currently serve nearly 25 million people across the country and 1 in 4 Vermonters. The programs funding is set to expire in September.
More than 155,000 Vermonters are served by community health centers, including more than 2,000 homeless Vermonters and 5,000 veterans. In rural areas, nearly 9 in 10 Vermonters are served by community health centers. Additionally, community health centers have created more than 1,100 jobs across the state.
"We cannot wait until the last minute to address this and we cannot let health centers close their doors because Congress couldnt get their act together. Where do these millions of people go when they and their families need quality health care to manage their conditions and keep themselves healthy if community health centers disappear? Given the crisis we have in primary health care, we must act immediately and boldly," Sanders said.
"As we are now dealing with attacks to the Affordable Care Act, Senator Sanders and I are introducing this legislation to expand and make permanent community health center funding and programs that were created in the ACA," Clyburn said.
The Community Health Center and Primary Care Workforce Expansion Act would dramatically expand and make permanent community health center funding and programs that were created in the Affordable Care Act.
Sanders and Clyburns bill would expand the funding for FQHCs as well as the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education program (THCGME), and create a funding stream for the Family Nurse Practitioner Residency program.
Additionally, the bill includes $18 billion of funding for capital projects to invest in the infrastructure and expand the physical capacity of community health centers in our nations most medically underserved neighborhoods.
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom