It attempts to repair the damage this bill does to initiatives that protect the health and welfare of seniors and other vulnerable populations. This amendment is necessary for a simple reason. The Republican majority is more focused on providing a trillion-dollar tax cut that largely benefits the wealthiest Americans than on providing needed funding for the neediest Americans. Poverty, homelessness, poor living conditions, geographical isolation, lack of doctors, and lack of health insurance pose insurmountable access problems for many people at higher risk for serious and costly health conditions. Community health centers address these access problems through the delivery of comprehensive primary and preventive services, the type of services not typically offered by traditional private sector providers to at-risk people.
Health centers do it cost effectively.
Health centers focus on wellness and early prevention. At a time of great economic prosperity, we must not forget those who are not enjoying good financial times, those who do not have the health coverage for themselves or their families. The community health centers fill a need we cannot ignore. Unfortunately, the Republican budget resolution passed by the House created a framework for failure. We are trying to redress those failures in this amendment.