[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 25 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 25

   Recognizing the value and benefits that community health centers 
 provide as health care homes for over 18,000,000 individuals, and the 
importance of enabling health centers and other safety net providers to 
continue to offer accessible, affordable, and continuous care to their 
 current patients and to every American who lacks access to preventive 
                       and primary care services.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 9, 2009

  Mr. Menendez (for himself and Ms. Stabenow) submitted the following 
 concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing the value and benefits that community health centers 
 provide as health care homes for over 18,000,000 individuals, and the 
importance of enabling health centers and other safety net providers to 
continue to offer accessible, affordable, and continuous care to their 
 current patients and to every American who lacks access to preventive 
                       and primary care services.

Whereas a strong system of health care safety net providers is vital to ensuring 
        that any health care system address access, cost, and quality challenges 
        while providing care for the most vulnerable individuals and 
        communities;
Whereas community health centers currently form the backbone of the health care 
        safety net for the United States, caring for more than 1 out of every 5 
        uninsured low-income Americans and providing almost 1 out of every 5 
        office visits under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance 
        Program;
Whereas more than 60,000,000 individuals in the United States are medically 
        disenfranchised, lacking access to primary care services like those 
        provided by health centers and other safety net providers, regardless of 
        insurance coverage;
Whereas health centers effectively remove barriers to care by providing cost-
        effective, high-quality, and comprehensive preventive and primary health 
        care, as well as effective care management for individuals with chronic 
        conditions;
Whereas health centers have compiled a well-documented record of reducing health 
        disparities and improving patient health outcomes, lowering the overall 
        cost of care for their patients by 41 percent as compared to individuals 
        who receive care elsewhere, and generating $18,000,000,000 in savings 
        each year for the health care system;
Whereas an expansion of the highly effective Health Centers Program to provide a 
        health care home for all 60,000,000 medically disenfranchised Americans 
        would increase the overall savings that health centers generate for the 
        health care system to up to $80,000,000,000 each year;
Whereas Congress has recognized the value of the care that health centers 
        provide to those enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health 
        Insurance Program by making their services a guaranteed benefit and 
        establishing a mechanism to appropriately reimburse health centers for 
        the quality care that they provide;
Whereas private insurance often does not appropriately reimburse safety net 
        providers like health centers for the full spectrum of care they 
        provide, forcing health centers to subsidize under-payments for their 
        privately insured patients by diverting funds intended to support care 
        for those in need; and
Whereas millions of Americans in underserved communities are in need of a health 
        care home like those provided by health centers, which serve as a proven 
        model of health care delivery that assures high-quality and cost-
        effective health care in every State of the Nation: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That--
            (1) all individuals should have the choice of a community 
        health center as their health care home and every health center 
        should be appropriately reimbursed for the high-value 
        preventive and primary care they provide;
            (2) health care reform should include measures to expand 
        community health centers in order to reach more individuals who 
        need a health care home;
            (3) the current payment mechanisms for federally qualified 
        health centers through Medicaid and the Children's Health 
        Insurance Program are essential to ensuring access to 
        affordable and high-quality preventive and primary care 
        services for beneficiaries of such programs;
            (4) any expansion of private insurance must include 
        mechanisms to ensure the full participation of, and appropriate 
        reimbursement to, federally qualified health centers and other 
        safety net providers in order to ensure adequate access to care 
        for those individuals who are medically underserved or 
        disenfranchised; and
            (5) ensuring access to all safety net providers, including 
        federally qualified health centers, will be vital to ensuring 
        that health care reform is successful in expanding access, 
        improving quality, and reducing cost.
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