[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 28, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H1274-H1275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an 
important component of our health care delivery system. Community 
health centers for 35 years have undergirded the primary health care 
movement in this country. They have provided access to quality, 
affordable primary and preventative health care, regardless of a 
patient's ability to pay. They have been a safety net for millions who 
otherwise would not have been able to afford health insurance.
  Community health centers are the family doctor, the health care home 
for over 11 million low-income patients nationwide, including over 7 
million minorities.
  We talk about health care in macro terms, but when we really think 
about it in micro terms, day to day, it really is the vast network of 
more than 3,000 community-based health care center sites operating in 
urban and rural communities that make sure our citizens are healthy. 
They deliver top-rate health care with highly trained, culturally 
competent health professionals.
  Across the Nation, health centers are staffed by more than 6,000 
physicians, thousands of nurses, dentists, and other health 
professionals and volunteers. Health centers provide health education, 
community outreach, transportation, and other support programs in 
schools, public housing, and homeless shelters.
  Community health centers have done an outstanding job of controlling 
costs. For the past 35 years, they have provided quality, cost-
effective primary and preventive care to the hardest-to-reach 
populations, where they are most needed, for less than 76 cents per day 
for each person health centers serve. That is how they have controlled 
costs.
  In my congressional district, there are 24 health center delivery 
sites. Each of them are jewels. They are cost-effective, responsive to 
community needs, and the patients just love them.
  Unfortunately, they, along with health centers throughout the 
country, are facing severe challenges which jeopardize their ability to 
continue providing services for those most in need. For example, 
approximately 46 percent of Illinois health center patients are 
uninsured. That number is rising, while the Federal grants to address 
the health needs of this population remain stagnant.
  The bulk of health center patients' uninsured populations are working 
families who, for a variety of reasons, cannot afford health care for 
their families. The cost to health centers of providing this care 
cannot be recouped by them and falls into the category of uncompensated 
or free care, which is quickly becoming the number one factor 
jeopardizing Illinois health centers.
  Also, nationally there are more than 43 million who are without 
health insurance. That number is projected to increase to more than 50 
million by 2007.

[[Page H1275]]

  The rising number of uninsured with problems associated with welfare 
reform and the cutbacks in charity care mean health center budgets will 
be challenged to meet increased demands. Currently health centers are 
serving 4.4 million uninsured Americans.
  While I am pleased that President Bush recognizes the importance of 
community health centers and has set a priority of increasing the 
number of health center delivery sites by 1,200 in his budget, the 
President's budget also provides an increase of $124 million for the 
health centers, and that is a good start.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. Speaker, it falls short of providing the resources to match 
demand.
  I, along with members of the Congressional Black and Hispanic 
Caucuses are urging a $250 million increase for the health center 
program. With an additional $250 million, health centers will be able 
to expand in facilities in rural and urban communities.
  Additionally, they will have the needed resources to hire staff and 
see an additional 700,000 uninsured patients.
  Mr. Speaker, our Nation is divided when it comes to health. Divided 
along the lines of those with and those without access to health care. 
We obviously suffer from this great disparity. I believe that if we are 
to become and to be the great Nation that we have the potential of 
being, then each and every one of our citizens must have access to 
quality, comprehensive affordable health care without regard to their 
ability to pay.
  Since we do not have universal health insurance or universal 
coverage, the next best thing would be to have a community health 
center in every medically underserved community in this Nation.

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