[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 260 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 260

   To express the sense of the Senate that the Federal investment in 
programs that provide health care services to uninsured and low-income 
  individuals in medically underserved areas be increased in order to 
              double access to care over the next 5 years.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 24, 2000

  Mr. Bond (for himself, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Daschle, Mr. 
   Hatch, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Breaux, Mr. DeWine, Mrs. 
     Lincoln, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Inouye) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   To express the sense of the Senate that the Federal investment in 
programs that provide health care services to uninsured and low-income 
  individuals in medically underserved areas be increased in order to 
              double access to care over the next 5 years.

Whereas the uninsured population in the United States continues to grow at over 
        100,000 individuals per month, and is estimated to reach over 53,000,000 
        people by 2007;
Whereas the growth in the uninsured population continues despite public and 
        private efforts to increase health insurance coverage;
Whereas nearly 80 percent of the uninsured population are members of working 
        families who cannot afford health insurance or cannot access employer-
        provided health insurance plans;
Whereas minority populations, rural residents, and single-parent families 
        represent a disproportionate number of the uninsured population;
Whereas the problem of health care access for the uninsured population is 
        compounded in many urban and rural communities by a lack of providers 
        who are available to serve both insured and uninsured populations;
Whereas community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers have 
        proven uniquely qualified to address the lack of adequate health care 
        services for uninsured populations, serving over 4,500,000 uninsured 
        patients in 1999, including over 1,000,000 new uninsured patients who 
        have sought care from such centers in the last 3 years;
Whereas health centers care for nearly 7,000,000 minorities, nearly 600,000 
        farmworkers, and more than 500,000 homeless individuals each year;
Whereas health centers provide cost-effective comprehensive primary and 
        preventive care to uninsured individuals for less than $1.00 per day, or 
        $350 annually, and help to reduce the inappropriate use of costly 
        emergency rooms and inpatient hospital care;
Whereas current resources only allow health centers to serve 10 percent of the 
        Nation's 44,000,000 uninsured individuals;
Whereas past investments to increase health center access have resulted in 
        better health, an improved quality of life for all Americans, and a 
        reduction in national health care expenditures; and
Whereas Congress can act now to increase access to health care services for 
        uninsured and low-income people together with or in advance of health 
        care coverage proposals by expanding the availability of services at 
        community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Resolution to Expand Access 
to Community Health Centers (REACH) Initiative''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

    It is the sense of the Senate that appropriations for consolidated 
health centers under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 254b) should be increased by 100 percent over the next 5 fiscal 
years in order to double the number of individuals who receive health 
care services at community, migrant, homeless, and public housing 
health centers.
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