[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4872]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   PASSAGE OF THE HEALTH CARE SAFETY NET AMENDMENTS OF 2001 (S. 1533)

 Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, almost 39 million Americans wake 
up each morning, hoping that they or their families do not face illness 
or a serious accident--because they have no health insurance. Many more 
are underinsured and do not have access to a good health provider. They 
awake hoping that they and their loved ones will not get sick. For 
many, falling ill can mean financial ruin, or even death, because they 
cannot afford the critical health services they need.
  During this time when our country struggles through the worst 
economic downturn in a decade, we must find innovative ways to provide 
access to health care for our most vulnerable citizens. States are 
facing more than $40 billion in deficits, unemployment is up, and the 
number of uninsured are rising.
  Today, we offer Americans hope. I am proud that the U.S. Senate has 
joined together in passing the Health Care Safety Amendments of 2001. 
This bill reauthorizes two critical programs that serve our poorest 
populations--the health centers program and the National Health Service 
Corps. It also creates the Healthy Communities Access Program, HCAP. By 
bringing together public and private providers, HCAP will help improve 
the coordination of services for communities' most vulnerable 
populations.
  At a time when our health care system too often treats people as 
statistics, this Nation's community health centers and our health 
professionals working through the National Health Service Corps treat 
them as patients who deserve the best available health care. They know 
their communities, they understand their concerns, they know their 
names, and they speak their languages.
  For more than 30 years, these programs have provided health care to 
Americans who have no where else to go for services. In fact, it is 
difficult to imagine what health care in the United States would be 
like today without them. Without their extraordinary achievements, 
millions of the most vulnerable Americans would not receive the health 
care they need to live healthy and productive lives. Without the health 
centers and the National Health Service Corps, there would be higher 
rates of tuberculosis, infant mortality, AIDS, substance abuse, and 
many other debilitating conditions in our low-income neighborhoods. 
Without these two programs, the Nation's emergency rooms would be 
flooded with even more patients seeking primary care.
  Despite their extraordinary accomplishments, far too often these 
health centers and providers struggle each day just to keep their doors 
open. That is why this legislation is so important.
  Over the years, our community health centers have more than proven 
their worth. And as a result, last year, health centers received more 
support than ever before. We set a goal of doubling the Federal 
financial commitment to community health centers over the next 5 years. 
We need to continue expanding these programs and get more health 
professionals on the ground in health centers in America's small 
farming communities, urban centers, and sprawling suburbs.
  And we must continue our commitment to the Healthy Communities Access 
Program. HCAP plays a very important role in our health care safety 
net. From the physician in private practice to the community health 
centers to the hospitals, all will work hand-in-hand to coordinate 
their efforts to reach the vast number of Americans who fall between 
the cracks in today's health care system. We must ensure that we 
continue to fund this program to help safety net providers develop 
innovative ways to coordinate the care for the uninsured and 
underinsured. We should not put this important safety net program at 
risk of receiving lower levels of funding.
  I commend President Bush for making the health centers program and 
the National Health Service Corps a priority in his 2003 budget, and I 
hope the administration will support the bipartisan HCAP program. I 
also commend Senator Frist, Senator Jeffords, and the members of our 
committee for their hard work on this bill.
  For more than 30 years, I have been inspired by those who invest 
their lives in caring for Americans who have no place to turn for 
health care. I thank my colleagues today for passing the Safety Net 
bill which will aid our health centers and doctors in delivering 
critical health care services in our poorest communities. In doing so, 
we not only offer the tools for ensuring healthier lives, but we 
provide hope for millions of struggling families.

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