[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 153 (Thursday, November 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13184-S13185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 65--RECOGNIZING THE BENEFITS AND
IMPORTANCE OF FEDERALLY-QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS AND THEIR MEDICAID
PROSPECTIVE PAYMENT SYSTEM
Mr. BURR (for himself, Mr. Obama, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mr. Kerry,
Mr. Smith, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Collins, and Ms.
Snowe) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Finance:
S. Con. Res. 65
Whereas community, migrant, public housing, and homeless
health centers form the backbone of the health care safety
net of the United States, providing health care to nearly
6,000,000 of the 53,000,000 people enrolled in the Medicaid
Program nationwide;
Whereas health center patients are more likely than the
general population to be enrolled in Medicaid, with 36
percent of all health center patients enrolled in Medicaid
compared to 12 percent nationally;
Whereas in 1989, Congress established the services of the
Federally-qualified health center (FQHC) program as a
guaranteed benefit under Medicaid to protect the valuable
resources intended to assist health centers in caring for the
uninsured;
Whereas health centers have doubled the number of uninsured
people served since 1989, a growth rate more than twice that
of the uninsured population of the United States;
Whereas health centers provided 17 percent of all Medicaid
and State Health Insurance Program office visits in 2001;
Whereas Medicaid on average contributes 36 percent of a
health center's budget, with the remainder provided by
Federal grants, State and local governments, Medicare,
private contributions, private insurance, and patient fees;
Whereas the cost of treating health center Medicaid
patients is 30 to 34 percent less than the cost of treating
those that receive care elsewhere, and similarly, 26 to 40
percent lower for prescription drug costs, 35 percent lower
for diabetics, and 20 percent lower for asthmatics;
Whereas health center Medicaid patients are 22 percent less
likely to be hospitalized for conditions that were
potentially avoidable than those obtaining care elsewhere;
Whereas a bipartisan majority of Congress in 2000
established a prospective payment system (PPS) to ensure that
Federally-qualified health centers receive sufficient
Medicaid funding, thereby striking a balance between
protecting the Federal investment in health centers and
providing State flexibility in designing the payment system
for these centers;
Whereas the prospective payment system has allowed States
to appropriately predict and budget the cost of health center
Medicaid expenditures;
Whereas the prospective payment system has allowed health
centers to provide and expand primary care services to more
people in need, while promoting efficient operation of and
ensuring adequate Medicaid reimbursement for these centers;
Whereas without the assurance of sufficient Medicaid
funding under the prospective payment system, health centers
would be forced to cross-subsidize Medicaid underpayments
with Federal grant dollars intended to care for the
uninsured;
Whereas if the PPS were eliminated or changed, entire
communities could be left without any access to primary and
preventive health care services, thus undoing decades of
investment by Congress in providing a health care safety net;
Whereas health centers provide cost-effective, high-quality
health care to the poor of the Nation and the medically
underserved, including the working poor, the uninsured, and
many high-risk and vulnerable populations; and
Whereas health centers act as a vital safety net in the
health delivery system of the Nation, meeting escalating
health needs, and reducing health disparities: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That--
(1) it is the sense of Congress that the Medicaid
prospective payment system for the Federally-qualified health
center program is critical to ensuring that both Medicaid
recipients and the uninsured population of the Nation have
access to quality affordable primary and preventive care
services; and
(2) Congress recognizes the critical role of health centers
as an essential source of health care for millions of
Medicaid recipients and uninsured Americans and supports
continuation of the prospective payment system in helping to
maintain this system of health care.
[[Page S13185]]
Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, today, Senator Burr and I are introducing a
resolution that reaffirms the importance of the Medicaid prospective
payment system for federally qualified health centers.
Federally qualified health centers--community, migrant, public
housing, and homeless health centers--form the backbone of the Nation's
health care safety net. FQHC's provide cost-effective, high-quality
health care to the Nation's poor and medically underserved, including
the working poor, the uninsured, and many high-risk and vulnerable
populations.
Federally qualified health centers serve nearly 1 of 5 low-income
children. Two-thirds of health center patients are members of racial
and ethnic minority groups. And over 675,000 homeless persons receive
care at health centers every year.
FQHC's play a particularly critical role in serving patients enrolled
in Medicaid. Health centers provide care to nearly 6 million of the 53
million people enrolled in the Medicaid Program nationwide. Thirty-six
percent of all FQHC patients are Medicaid beneficiaries compared to 12
percent nationally. Notably, the cost of treating Medicaid patients at
FQHCs is about one-third less than the cost for those receiving care
elsewhere, with drug costs alone about 25 percent lower.
In 2000, a bipartisan majority of the Congress established a
prospective payment system, or PPS, to ensure that FQHC's receive fair
Medicaid reimbursement. This system strikes a balance between
protecting Federal investment in such health centers and allowing State
flexibility in designing the payment system for these centers. The PPS
allows health centers to provide and expand primary care services to
more people in need, promotes efficient operation of FQHC's, and
ensures they receive adequate Medicaid reimbursement.
Today, PPS has allowed health centers to provide quality health care
to nearly 15 million people nationally, while also delivering
significant cost savings to the Medicaid Program. Congress should
recognize the critical role of such health centers as the primary
source of care for millions of Medicaid recipients and uninsured
Americans and support continuation of the prospective payment system.
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