[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.