| Since it was established in 2010, Congress has continued to reauthorize multi-year base funding for community health centers at varying intervals. The Community Health Center Fund accounts for about 70% of federal health center funding, totaling $4B in 2023. The fund was last reauthorized 3 years ago and will expire at the end of the fiscal year on September 30. |
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| What is the status of multi-year funding for health centers? |
In a statement on Monday, July 24, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, the key Senate committee with jurisdiction over health centers, announced the committee would postpone a mark-up on a bill containing health center funding until after the August recess.
Senator Sanders released his proposal last week and the mark-up was supposed to take place on Wednesday, July 26. However, the process has been delayed until Congress is back in Washington in September. The delay is intended to provide additional time for members to come to a bi-partisan agreement. Under Senator Sanders's proposal, health center funding would receive a significant boost.
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The bill, the Primary Care and Health Workforce Expansion Act, includes:
- $65.5 billion over five years, which is three times current funding, increasing funding from the current $4 billion per year to more than $13 billion in 2028
- $8.3B for the National Health Service Corps over five years
- $2.1B over five years for the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) program.
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Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), ranking member on the HELP Committee released his own version of a community health center funding bill that more closely aligns with the bill passed out of the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee. However, the House has yet to take a floor vote on this legislation. The House E&C bill includes the following extension of health center funding:
- $4.2B for the Community Health Center Funding from 2024-2025, an increase of $200M per year
- $350M for the National Health Service Corps from 2024-2025, an increase of $40M per year
- Funding for the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education program for 6 years:
- $175M (2024-2025)
- $225M (2026-2027)
- $275M (2028-2029)
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| What can you do to help? |
When Congress returns from their August recess, they will only have a few short weeks until health center funding expires on September 30. Between now and then, we need health center advocates to urge Congress to invest in the future of community health centers and their patients:
- With the click of a button, send a customizable email to your Members of Congress demanding they take action to support health centers
- Ask 5 additional people to take action when you reach out to your Members of Congress
- Follow @hcadvocacy on Facebook or on Twitter @HCAdvocay.
- Share posts and tag your Members of Congress in your social media posts to remind them how health centers strengthen your community.
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