At the national level, the CHCANYS Policy Team works with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and other Primary Care Associations to coordinate and provide leadership on key issues. The Bureau of Primary Health Care at the Health Resources and Services Administration looks to CHCANYS for guidance on issues important to New York State health centers.
Job Well Done! New York State’s US Congressional Delegation Sign Health Center Appropriations Letters In a strong showing of support for health centers, 20 of New York’s 27 Representatives and both US Senators signed the “Dear Colleague” letters in support of continued funding for the Health Centers Program. These letters will be shared with the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.
Click here to see if your Member of Congress signed the Bilirakis-Pallone letter. If you have not already done so, please follow up and thank them for their support. Many thanks to all of you who responded to our Calls to Action and reached out to your elected officials to help make this happen!
Obama’s FY2014 Budget Proposal Released On April 10, President Obama released his FY2014 Budget Proposal, which includes a total programmatic funding level of $3.8 billion for the Health Centers Program. This proposed allocation represents a $700 million increase from FY2013 and would allow health centers to expand access to care to more than 5 million new patients nationwide. Click here to read NACHC’s press release on the President’s proposal.
Congress Approves FY2013 Continuing Resolution and Ensures Continued Funding for Health Centers On March 21, the Senate and House voted in approval of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013, thereby ensuring that the federal government will remain funded for the duration of FY2013. This legislation includes total funding of $3.1 billion for the Health Centers Program, which represents a $300 million increase from FY2012. The legislation also includes a requirement that this $300 million be spent during the 2013 fiscal year and allocates $48 million of it to base grant adjustments for existing health centers, which will allow them to meet the financial demands of the current health care marketplace and expand services to 1.5 million new patients.
Thanks to the Continuing Resolution, there will be no loss of funding to health centers’ 330 grants during FY2013. However, the sequester is unfortunately still in effect, which means that other programs that benefit health centers and the patients they serve will continue to be impacted.
NACHC 2013 Policy and Issues Forum a Great Success A big thank you to the health center leaders and staff from across the state who joined CHCANYS in Washington D.C. on March 20-23 for the National Association of Community Health Centers’ (NACHC) annual Policy and Issues Forum. Collectively, the New York State delegation met with 23 members of Congress and/or their staff as well as with the offices of Senators Gillibrand and Schumer to thank them for passing a Continuing Resolution for FY2013 that includes the requested $3.1 billion in total funding for health centers, and to ask them to preserve and expand the vital work of the Health Centers Program by supporting $3.8 billion in total funding for FY2014, which will allow health centers to extend care to 3 million new patients nationally.
To access NACHC’s 2013 Federal Legislative Agenda, click here.
