[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 142 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 142

 To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
 investment in programs that provide health care services to uninsured 
  and low-income individuals in medically underserved areas should be 
           increased to serve 20,000,000 individuals by 2006.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2003

  Mr. Capuano (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. 
  Towns, Mr. Olver, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Bell, Mr. 
Abercrombie, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Berman, Mr. McNulty, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. 
 Case, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Lee, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. 
Tierney, Mr. Matsui, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Greenwood, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 
 Rangel, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. McIntyre, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Ross, 
    Mr. Conyers, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Norwood, Mr. Dooley of 
  California, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Scott of 
 Virginia, Ms. Roybal-Allard, and Mr. Filner) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
 investment in programs that provide health care services to uninsured 
  and low-income individuals in medically underserved areas should be 
           increased to serve 20,000,000 individuals by 2006.

Whereas the uninsured population in the United States is approximately 
        43,000,000 and is estimated to reach over 53,000,000 by 2007;
Whereas nearly 80 percent of the uninsured population consists of 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 more than 5,000,000 
        uninsured patients in 2002;
Whereas health centers care for nearly 14,000,000 patients, including nearly 
        9,000,000 minorities, nearly 850,000 farmworkers, and almost 750,000 
        homeless individuals each year;
Whereas health centers provide cost-effective comprehensive primary and 
        preventive care to uninsured individuals for approximately $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 more than 12 
        percent of the Nation's 43,000,000 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;
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; and
Whereas the President has proposed to double the number of people served by 
        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 Initiative''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

    It is the sense of the House of Representatives 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 during 
the period of fiscal years 2001 through 2006 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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