Federal Update
Keep Up to Date!
Below is a selection of recent health policy and regulatory news and information relevant to health centers and PCAs. For regular updates, subscribe to Capital Link’s blog and access the following links:
NACHC’s Health Centers on the Hill and Policy Shop blogs
The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA's) health center tab
The newsroom at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Proposed Plans to Replace the ACA
January 20, 2017 – President Trump issued an executive order to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and several proposed plans to replace it have been unveiled. Click here to read more about the Senate’s Obamacare Repeal Resolution on NACHC’s blog. Click here for a summary of Health Secretary Nominee Tom Price's Empowering Patients First Act on the Kaiser Family Foundation website (which plans to add additional proposal summaries in the coming weeks). Click here and here to learn more about the House Republican Study Committee’s American Health Care Reform Act, which proposes coverage for those with pre-existing conditions while attempting to lower costs by allowing association health plans, expanded health savings accounts, and the sale of insurance across state lines.
HHS Nominee Price Speaks to Value of Community Health Centers
January 18, 2017 – In the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary confirmation hearing, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) asked HHS Secretary nominee Representative Tom Price (R-GA) about the role of community health centers in the health care system. Senator Tim Scott asked, “What role do you think community health centers can play particularly in rural and medically underserved areas?” Representative Price responded, “Community health centers are a vital part of our health care delivery system right now. They fill a void in so many areas, as you mentioned, across your state and across mine, and literally across the country. I think there are over 13,000 that are the entry point and oftentimes the area of health care for so many individuals. And we need to do all that we can to strengthen them, to make certain the providers, the docs and other providers, that are within community health centers are of the highest quality, that they are providing the highest quality care. And that they are able to access resources, intellectual resources and clinical resources, that allow them to broaden that care.” Watch this portion of the hearing here.
Potential Timeline for ACA “Repeal and Replace”
January 3, 2017 – There is much speculation about the impact a Trump presidency will have on health care, specifically centered around repealing or rolling back the ACA and a possible end to the expansion of Medicaid. NACHC recently posted an overview of the potential timeline for repealing and replacing the ACA here on their blog.
HSS awards over $50 Million for New Health Center Sites
December 15, 2016 – Health and Human Services (HHS) announced over $50 million in New Access Point funding for 75 health centers in 23 states, Puerto Rico, and the Federated State of Micronesia. The funding will allow these health centers to serve over 240,000 additional patients. Read more here.
Health Care Package Benefiting Health Centers Signed into Law
December 14, 2016 – After passing in both houses of Congress with overwhelming bipartisan votes, President Obama signed the 21st Century Cures Act into law. The sweeping medical cures bill contains key measures that will help health centers expand services, staff, and training for providers, especially in the area of treating opioid addiction. Read more here.
Congress Passed Continuing Resolution to Avoid Government Shutdown
December 10, 2016 – With the most recent Continuing Resolution (CR) expired, Congress opted to move forward with another CR to fund the federal government through the end of April 2017. This latest short-term funding extension allows Congress time to address other pressing policy issues at the beginning of the new Congress and transition to the new Administration. Read more here.
$7 Billion NTMC Allocation Announced
November 17, 2016 – The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced that 120 organizations nationwide will receive a total of $7 billion in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) awards. This is the largest single award round since the NMTC Program was created in 2001. Read more here. And read about how Capital Link can help here.
One-Quarter of Americans Are Currently Enrolled in Medicaid
September 26, 2016 – Since 2013, the number of Medicaid enrollees has grown from 58 million to 75 million, and the program now provides coverage to roughly 25 percent of all Americans – the most significant effect of Obamacare, according to a PwC report released in September 2016. The growth in Medicaid slowed to just three percent this year, with 2.3 million new enrollees, as few new states joined the expansion. Read more here.
