Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget bill that will seriously harm community health centers, patients, and communities by significantly reducing Medicaid funding and access, which serves as a lifeline for half of all health center patients. The bill also calls for a rushed timeline for implementation, which would create an administrative nightmare for community health centers already balancing razor-thin margins and experiencing continued uncertainty around long-term funding.
Advocates for Community Health (ACH), a nonprofit representing some of our nation’s largest community health centers, is deeply alarmed by the passage of this bill and released the following statement from its CEO Amanda Pears Kelly:
“Medicaid is critical to community health. The House budget reconciliation bill would strip millions of people of their health care coverage, severely weakening the health safety net, especially in rural communities, where the impact would be most devastating. These cuts will undoubtedly keep many from receiving primary care and ultimately drive up health care costs for the American taxpayer.
“In an extraordinary showing of alignment, community health centers have been warning Congress about jeopardizing access to patient care and services, and the implications these policy changes will have, including site closures, and eliminating critical services such as mammograms, dental care, and school-based health.
“Community health centers – especially in rural and underserved areas – are facing tough choices about how to maintain their services, potentially leading to staff reductions or even the difficult decision to close their doors. These challenges don’t just affect Medicaid beneficiaries; every community across the nation will feel the effects, including longer wait times for care, more crowded emergency departments, and health-related job losses.”
The bill will now move to the Senate. Congressional leaders have indicated they hope to have a final bill delivered to President Trump by the 4th of July. The Senate now has an opportunity to improve this legislation, and ACH stands ready to work with lawmakers to protect health center patients.
Earlier this month, ACH mobilized over 800 community health executives to call on Congress for support in safeguarding Medicaid. The letter delivered to Congress, signed by CEOs, presidents, board members of community health centers, and leaders of primary care associations from all 50 states, stressed the potential negative impact of significant cuts to Medicaid funding on these centers, the largest primary care system in the nation. They urged Congress to work alongside health centers to ensure that any alterations to Medicaid preserve support for rural and economically challenged areas of the country.
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About Advocates for Community Health
Established in 2021, Advocates for Community Health (ACH) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit membership organization of community health centers dedicated to forward-thinking and ambitious federal policy and advocacy on behalf of health centers, their patients, and their communities. To learn more, visit advocatesforcommunityhealth.org.