Congress OKs health safety net measures

Legislation authorizes spending for community health centers and the National Health Service Corps.

By Markian Hawryluk, AMNews staff. Nov. 11, 2002.

Washington -- While most health care legislation got stuck in partisan gridlock this year, a bill expanding the health care safety net is one of the few to get signed into law.

But communities in need of the help may have to wait a while longer, because Congress has yet to appropriate the funds needed to implement the programs.

The Health Care Safety Net Amendments authorize funding for community health centers through 2006 and provide grants to communities to better organize and deliver care to the poor and uninsured. The measure allows Congress to expand spending for the National Health Service Corps. That program provides scholarships and loan guarantees to medical students who agree to practice in areas with physician shortages after graduation.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said the legislation was a key part of the Bush administration's plan to address the challenge of the uninsured. "We're opening the door to new opportunities to improve the way underserved populations receive needed health services," Thompson said.

In 2000, community health centers provided preventive and primary care to more than 9.6 million people at more than 3,000 sites across the country. Of those served, 500,000 people were homeless, 600,000 were migrant and seasonal farm workers, and 55,000 were residents of public housing.

"Clearly, this program has been successful in meeting the goals of its creators," said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D, Mass.), who shepherded the legislation through the Senate. "Passage of the Safety Net Amendments is the first step to closing the dangerous gaps in our health care system." [...]