Did You Know?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) includes $59 Billion in allocations for healthcare. Text of the bill is available as a .pdf document by clicking here.

The State of Florida is reeling from a revenue shortfall in excess of $5 Billion, and it is unlikely that state programs will rebound within the near future. The most recent legislative session saw a one-third reduction in case management fees paid to community health centers and other safety-net providers for Medicaid lives served with primary care. For a summary of the 2008 Legislative session, click here.

Advocacy: Governmental Issues Impacting Our Members

National Focus

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), an unprecedented effort to jumpstart the economy and create or save millions of jobs, is an extraordinary response to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression. Community Health Centers (CHCs) are a key in the plan's commitment to healthcare. The first announcement of funding under ARRA included New Access Point grants to CHCs across the country, including CHCA member Bond Community Health Center. All CHCA members are also eligible for Increased Demand for Services (IDS) funding in fiscal year 2009 to support existing operations. IDS grant funding will be provided under a 2-year project period and is based upon the following formula: $100,000 base, with additional $6 for each patient served in 2008, and an additional $19 per uninsured patient served during that period. The IDS project is intended to increase service to the uninsured during this economic crisis through expanded hours of operation and/or new providers hired to increase the capacity of each health center organization to serve more patients. To follow the progress of the ARRA, visit: www.recovery.gov.

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) leads the national effort to gain attention to CHC efforts and the need for greater access to primary and preventive health care across the country. CHCA is proud to work with NACHC on behalf of its members in all matters related to advocacy on a national level.

One way NACHC helps get attention to the needs of community health centers is an annual week-long event that brings together elected officials and others to celebrate accomplishments and create interest in progress and healthcare needs of the uninsured and underinsured throughout the nation. In 2008, Florida Governor Charlie Crist demonstrated his support with an executive order endorsing the celebration statewide. "Community health centers empower communities to address unmet health needs, reduce health disparities and reduce preventable deaths, costly disabilities, and communicable diseases... and ensure quality health care." Read the full proclamation by clicking here.

State and Local Issues

The Florida Legislature will complete their work by May 1st and adjourn the 2009 Session Sine Die.* The Florida House of Representatives announced the following schedule for planning purposes on March 20th:

Week 7: (April 13–17) The General Appropriations Act and related implementing and conforming bills are expected to be placed on Special Order on Thursday, April 16th and on third reading on Friday, April 17th. This week will also include a local bill calendar and a consent calendar on the floor.

Legislation of specific interest to Community Health Centers (CHCs) this session is related to the Low Income Pool (LIP), which was "established to ensure continued government support for the provision of health care services to Medicaid, underinsured and uninsured populations. The low-income pool consists of a capped annual allotment of $1 billion total computable for each year of the 5 year demonstration period." Funding from this pool provides support for primary care delivered within CHCs to the uninsured and other low-income Florida residents that are often inappropriately served in the emergency departments of safety-net hospitals at great expense to taxpayers. In 2008, roughly $16 million of the fund was approved for CHC grants.

Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Ft. Walton Beach) has introduced legislation to restructure the LIP Council. The bill (SB 0556) was passed out of committee unanimously with little discussion or debate and no public testimony on March 19th. Sen. Nan Rich (D-Sunrise) offered an amendment to appoint a member to the Council from the Department of Health and a member to be appointed from a federally qualified community health center.

* Sine Die: Latin, literally "adjournment without a day." The final adjournment of a legislative session, meaning no further business may come before the assembly. Any bill not passed out of the legislature by this date is null and void,and must be resubmitted in future sessions to be enacted.