[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             EXTENDING FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2017

  Mr. CROWLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to address 
the imminent financial crisis that is facing our nation's community 
health centers.
  Last week, when I was back home in my district, I had the opportunity 
to visit the Institute for Family Health Center for Counseling in the 
Bronx. This is just one of New York's 29 Federally Qualified Health 
Centers operated by the Institute for Family Health, which is committed 
to improving access to high-quality, patient-centered primary health 
care targeted to the needs of medically underserved communities. The 
Center for Counseling highlights the importance of integrated 
behavioral health as part of the primary care continuum for all 
Americans, regardless of where they live.
  My visit was a reminder of the important role community health 
centers play in our nation's health care system. They are driven by a 
commitment to reduce health disparities and assure every American has 
access to high-quality health care. Congress must not stand in the way 
of this vital role.
  However, this Republican-led Congress has championed partisan 
gridlock that threatens the vitality of our community and teaching 
health centers. As of today, we have watched 24 days go by since 
federal funding for the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Community Health 
Center Fund expired at the end of September. These federal health 
programs have steadfast bipartisan support, yet the majority's partisan 
approach is holding up the essential federal funding these centers rely 
on.
  Within a package to extend federal funding for community and teaching 
health centers as well as the Children's Health Insurance Program 
(CHIP), Republicans proposed several problematic offsets that would 
ultimately set our health care system back. For example, certain 
changes to Medicaid would inhibit access to pediatric providers, and 
cuts to the ACA's Public Health and Prevention Fund would undermine the 
value of preventive services delivered at community health centers. 
Furthermore, the package would lead to higher premiums for certain 
seniors receiving Medicare benefits and shorter grace periods for 
individuals who receive their health coverage through the individual 
market. In other words, this package would slash benefits and 
protections for one group of beneficiaries to extend services for 
another.
  Democrats will not stand for any packages that would rob Peter to pay 
Paul. I urge my Republican colleagues to drop this partisan exercise 
and work with us on a compromise to extend these long-standing, 
successful, bipartisan federal health programs. The job of our nation's 
10,400 community health centers is much too important to bear the brunt 
of needless political games.

                          ____________________