    [Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
    [Senate]
    [Page S118]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                       CHIP and Community Health Centers

      Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about
    an issue that is critical to patients and families in my home State of
    Washington and across the country. Today, parents are wondering if they
    will be able to get the healthcare their kids need, and communities are
    wondering if they will be able to provide it.
      That is unacceptable.
      Congress has to swiftly and fully restore the Children's Health
    Insurance Program, or CHIP, and funding for other services families
    need, like community health centers, which have been waiting more than
    100 days for a long-term solution. They should do so without making
    deep cuts to successful prevention programs in the Centers for Disease
    Control and Prevention that tackle avoidable conditions like heart
    disease and diabetes.
      Democrats have wanted to get this done for months. By focusing on
    pushing through partisan tax reform at the end of the year, Republicans
    instead put massive corporations and the wealthiest ahead of making
    sure our children and their families have the healthcare they need. I
    hope they are now ready to give these issues their full and immediate
    attention. In case they aren't, I want to make sure they know exactly
    what this is about.
      It is about children like Stella. Stella lives in Washington State.
    She is 5 years old. She has two brothers. She has a love of the
    outdoors, especially swimming and kayaking. She has a typical
    kindergartner's boundless energy and excitement. But Stella was born
    with spina bifida, an issue with how her spinal cord was formed. In the
    past year of dealing with that condition, Stella's family went through
    5 catheters a day, almost 2,000 in total. They went on 10 different
    occasions to have MRI scans. They went to get her new leg braces. Given
    the cost of all that, they went through their $5,000 deductible in the
    first 5 weeks of the year. That is right. It took just 5 weeks.
    Additionally, this year Stella is also scheduled to have bladder and
    kidney surgery.
      As one can imagine, the expenses are really adding up. Even with both
    parents working, covering Stella's healthcare needs would be an
    unimaginable task. Fortunately, Stella does qualify for health
    insurance through CHIP. CHIP has helped her family afford the treatment
    she needs, including physical therapy.
      Stella's story is just one of many examples of families who rely on
    this program. There are 60,000 children in Washington State who are now
    insured through CHIP. Nine million families nationwide rely on it to
    help address the healthcare needs of their children. Yet Congress has
    taken over 102 days and counting to restore it. There is no excuse for
    this inaction.
      Families who rely on the CHIP Program are not alone in needing our
    immediate attention. Thanks to CHIP and Medicaid, the uninsured rate
    among children is now at an all-time low. Jeopardizing this
    accomplishment by letting CHIP twist in the wind is simply
    unacceptable. This Republican-controlled Congress has also failed to
    renew other investments that our families rely on for the care they
    need--programs such as community health centers, which serve 25 million
    patients, particularly in our rural and poorer communities; the
    National Health Service Corps, which brings doctors and other
    healthcare providers to underserved areas through scholarships and loan
    repayment; and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education
    Program, which brings primary care and dental residencies to
    communities in need. Leaving these programs without long-term
    extensions a minute longer is utterly irresponsible because this lack
    of certainty for them is already bringing a negative impact on our
    communities.
      For example, the Northeast Washington Health Programs serve some of
    most the rural areas in my State, including Ferry County, which has
    fewer than four people per square mile. They are struggling to hire
    needed medical staff and managers because of this uncertainty that is
    now there. Ferry County cannot wait.
      The Community Health Association of Spokane runs 12 health center
    sites and sees more than 70,000 patients a year. They recently began
    offering very much needed opioid addiction treatment. If Congress does
    not reauthorize the community health center funding, those efforts will
    be jeopardized and expansions will be halted. Spokane cannot wait.
      Yakima Neighborhood Health Services served over 22,000 patients in
    2016. Almost all of those patients were below 200 percent of the
    Federal poverty line.
      If Congress does not act soon, three different clinics, including a
    clinic in one of the poorest cities in Washington, will be at risk.
    Yakima cannot wait.
      I have heard additional stories of similar hardships from across my
    State. North Olympic Healthcare Network has had to put expansions on
    behavioral healthcare on hold. Another health center in Washington may
    have to reconsider building a new children's dental residency program.
    A center serving Whatcom County may have to cancel a project for
    medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare facilities as well.
      Across the country there are a lot of examples for community health
    centers just like the ones I mentioned. Healthcare that people of all
    ages and backgrounds rely on is being put in jeopardy, all because
    Republicans prioritized tax cuts for those at the top before the health
    needs of millions of people at the end of last year.
      It is far past time to show these families that we are willing to
    work to get this done. We need to give them the peace of mind that they
    can get the healthcare they need. They deserve that.
      I yield the floor.
      I suggest the absence of a quorum.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
      The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
      Mr. NELSON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
    for the quorum call be rescinded.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Ernst). Without objection, it is so
    ordered.
      (The remarks of Mr. NELSON pertaining to the introduction of S. 2292
    are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills
    and Joint Resolutions.'')
      Mr. NELSON. I yield the floor.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
      Mr. HEINRICH. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in
    morning business.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.