By: NACHC Federal Affairs Staff The House of Representatives is slated to vote this week on the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act, legislation that would avert the Health Center funding cliff and extend several other programs important to health centers: the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF), which provides 70% of section 330 grant dollars; along with …
Category: Health Center Federal Policy
Bipartisan Actions Seek to Boost Momentum Toward Health Center Cliff Fix
As health centers around the country have made clear, the expiration of the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF) on October 1, and with it, 70% of total grant funding for the Health Centers Program, is already having an impact at health centers nationwide. While each individual health center won’t experience a direct change to grant funding …
House Subcommittee Focuses on the 340B Program
While other health care related issues have certainly taken up much of the space on Congress’ agenda over the past year, the 340B program can be added to the list of issues at which Congress has taken a closer look at over the past several months. A case in point is the House Energy and Commerce …
Administration Actions on Marketplaces Create Major Uncertainty
By Colleen Meiman and Michaela Keller Last week, the Trump administration took two steps that have injected major uncertainty about the continuation and cost of coverage offered through the Marketplaces. On Thursday, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) instructing federal agencies to advance three policies that would make it easier for individuals to purchase …
Deadline Now Passed, House Committee Action Marks One Step Toward a Cliff Fix
As every health center director, staff member, board member and advocate knows well, the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF), which accounts for more than 70% of all federal grant funding to America’s 1,400+ health center organizations, expired on October 1st. While each health center has until the beginning of their next budget period before the direct …
Despite Momentum, Cliff Fix Not Yet Atop Congressional Agenda
Thanks to the advocacy of thousands of health center leaders and supporters across the country, the last two weeks have shown a marked uptick in Congressional awareness of the need to fix the Health Center Funding Cliff, which, if left unaddressed, would have devastating consequences for the nation’s health centers and the people they serve. Yet, …
The Twists and Turns of the Senate Health Care Debate
Yesterday was a roller coaster of a day on Capitol Hill, as the Senate began debate on its version (or perhaps more accurately, versions) of health care legislation. So that advocates are able to remain up to speed, our team wanted to summarize what’s taken place so far and where we stand in the Senate. We’ll aim …
Senate Leaders Release a New Version of the BCRA
By Jennifer Taylor, Deputy Director, Federal Affairs Yesterday, Senate Republican Leadership released an updated version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), their proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. We laid out the details of the original Senate draft in our previous analysis, so we won’t go through all of the bill’s provisions here. Instead we wanted to highlight key changes in the latest version, and give you an idea of what …
Health Center Highlights: House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing
By Melissa Cairo, NACHC Federal Affairs Intern On June 23, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held the hearing Examining the Extension of Safety Net Health Programs. In this hearing, the subcommittee focused on two specific programs: the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the Community Health Center Fund. Both CHIP and the Health …
Additional Analysis of the Better Care Reconciliation Act
By Holly Ogzun, NACHC Federal Affairs Intern On June 22nd Senate Republican leaders proposed the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). NACHC’s summary of the bill can be found here, and advocates can click here to weigh in with Senators and share concerns about the bill. On …