As a result of the MISSION Act signed into law last year with bipartisan support, the Veterans Administration has established the Veterans Community Care Program, which will offer veterans expanded care options from non-VA providers including Community Health Centers. Under the new program, veterans facing a wait of 20 days or more, or who must …
Category: Health Care News
National HIV Testing Day
National HIV Testing Day is June 27th. On this annual observance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging people to get tested for HIV, know their status, and get into treatment right away if they have HIV. The theme is #DoingItMyWay, a call to action for people to get tested in a …
Rural Americans Struggle with Access to Care
Many rural Americans are struggling with access to health care, according to a new poll that National Public Radio has done with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The poll focused on everyday life in rural America, including economic security, but it was the findings on health …
Addressing America’s Maternal Health Crisis
Today’s guest blog post is by NACHC intern Eskedar Girmash. We asked NACHC staff to describe their mothers. Responses included: brave, strong, kind, funny, selfless, young spirited, and loving. Mothers are an integral part of our lives and we’re excited to celebrate them this coming Sunday. Along with the observance of Mother’s Day, we would …
CMS Unveils New Initiative to Overhaul Primary Care
This post has been updated with new information. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the CMS Primary Cares Initiative, with the goal of improving patient care while managing health care costs. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar described the move as “a historic turning point” in press reports. He …
Black Maternal Health Week: Congress Takes Action
Today’s guest blog post is by Eskedar Girmash, Federal Affairs Spring ’19 Intern U.S. House Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and Alma Adams (NC-12) launched the Black Maternal Health Caucus earlier this month to elevate issues of maternal health inequities. Fifty-seven Congressional Members joined the caucus on the first day, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer …
Active and Healthy, National Minority Health Month
Today’s guest blog post is by Erica Harp, Grassroots Advocacy Spring ’19 Intern Each year during the month of April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and public health advocates join together to bring awareness to the health disparities that continue to persist for those of racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. This …
The Link Between Primary Care and Longer, Healthier Lives
Do people live longer when they have access to a primary care provider? A growing body of evidence suggests there is a link between access to primary care and a longer life. A case in point is a study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine which found that mortality rates are lower in U.S. counties with …
Latest on ACA Litigation: Community Health Center Patients Are Still Covered
A federal judge recently ruled that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional, sparking a great deal of speculation and confusion among health care advocates about the future of health coverage. We will talk in a little more detail about the ruling and potential next steps below, but it is important to start with …
The 2018 Midterm Elections: What We Know Now and What it Means for Health Centers in the Year Ahead
After one of the more highly anticipated elections in quite some time, we finally know what the political landscape will look like in 2019: Democrats are taking back the House of Representatives and Republicans will maintain control in the Senate. Democrats will hold at least 231 seats in the House (a gain of 36 seats) …