Advocates for Community Health Push for More Funding

Today’s Washington Post reports more than 500 local, state and national health-care organizations are urging congressional leaders to ramp up federal funding for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), which is set to expire after Nov. 17, according to a letter sent yesterday and shared with the newspaper’s “The Health 202” column by Advocates for Community Health (ACH). The signers represent 49 states and all U.S. territories. It was signed by 33 state primary care associations, 25 national organizations, and hundreds of community health centers, including LifeLong Medical Care. Key lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate have hammered out bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize a pot of money making up roughly 70 percent of federal dollars for community health centers. However, the groups are pushing for final action on a primary healthcare package from the responsible Senate committee allocating $5.8 billion per year over the next three years for the facilities.