On May 4, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing to examine the role of community health centers in ensuring access to care.
In his opening statement, Chair Nathan Deal (R-GA) stated, “Without question, Community Health Centers are an integral part of our country’s health care delivery system, providing health care services to people and communities that would not otherwise have access to such care…we applaud the thousands of Community Health Center employees and volunteers that contribute so much to the success of the program.” Rep. Deal also made reference to the upcoming reauthorization of community health centers.
Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX) described the critical role played by community health centers, saying, “In 2005, health centers provided care to six million uninsured individuals, who represented 40 percent of the patient population at health centers. Ninety-one percent of health center patients are low-income, and 36 percent are Medicaid beneficiaries.” He mentioned legislation, H.R. 5201, he and Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced to reauthorize the program.
Elisabeth Handley, division director for policy and development for the Bureau of Primary Health Care at the Health Resources and Services Administration, explained the growth of the Health Centers program since it was last reauthorized in 2002. “By any measure, we have been enormously successful implementing the President’s Health Center Expansion initiative an effort designed to establish or expand 1,200 health center sites and serve over 15.8 million patients in FY 2007. This continues to be a priority because we know that these funds go to provide direct health care services for our neighbors who are most in need. In 2005, the health center system served an estimated 14 million people almost 3.5 million more than in 2001 at more than 3,740 service delivery sites that represents an increase of more than 770 new and expanded sites since 2001.” Specific to women, Ms. Handley said, “In 2004, Health Centers provided more than 52 million encounters, over 250,000 mammograms, over 1.5 million pap tests, and nearly 2.4 million encounters for immunizations, as well as over 425,000 HIV tests and counseling, perinatal and delivery care for 364,000 women.”
Ms. Handley explained that funding for the program in 2001 was approximately $1.2 billion; the President has requested FY2007 funding of approximately $2 billion. She continued, “The President’s 2007 budget proposes an additional $181 million for the sixth year of the President’s expansion plan to significantly expand the Health Center safety net by increasing the number of access points and people served. Approximately $181 million would fund the development of 182 new access points…120 expanded existing sites, and serve 1.2 million new patients….Included in the President’s commitment is the goal to create a Health Center site in every poor county that lacks a Health Center site and can support one.”
Mr. Dan Hawkins, vice president for federal, state and public affairs at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), lauded the 41-year history of the Health Centers program, citing it as an “enduring model of primary care delivery for our country.” He stated, “Patients can walk through the doors of their local health center and receive one-stop health care delivery that offers a broad range of preventive and primary care services, including prenatal and well-child care, immunizations, disease screenings, treatment for chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension, HIV testing, counseling and treatment, and access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. Health centers also offer critically important enabling services designed to ensure that health center patients can truly access care, such as family and community outreach, case management, translation and interpretation, and transportation services.” Mr. Hawkins continued, “Communities served by health centers have infant mortality rates from 10 to 40% lower than communities not served by health centers, and the latest studies have shown a continued decrease in infant mortality at health centers while the nationwide rate has increased. Health centers are also linked to improvements in accessing early prenatal care and reductions in low birth weight.”
In regard to the reauthorization of the Health Centers program, Mr. Hawkins stated that the NACHC supports the reauthorization of the program without changes as incorporated in H.R. 5201. The bill would reauthorize the program through FY2011, with $1.963 billion in funding for FY2007. Mr. Hawkins also expressed the association’s support for H.R. 1313, legislation to extend Federal Tort Claims Act coverage to physicians who volunteer to provide care to health center patients.
The committee also heard from Mr. Roy Brooks, Commissioner, Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas, and Mrs. Kathy Grant-Davis, Executive Director, New Jersey Primary Care Association.
