IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 144 
Recognizing the value, benefits, and importance of community health centers 
as health care homes for millions of people in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 4, 2009 
Mr. CAPUANO (for himself and Ms. GRANGER) submitted the following concur-
rent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the value, benefits, and importance of commu-
nity health centers as health care homes for millions 
of people in the United States. 
Whereas community health centers currently form the back-
bone of the health care safety net of the United States, 
caring for more than 1 of every 5 low income uninsured 
people in the United States and providing almost 1 of 
every 5 Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance 
Program office visits; 
Whereas more than 60,000,000 individuals in the United 
States are medically disenfranchised, lacking access to 
primary care services regardless of insurance coverage; 
Whereas health centers effectively remove barriers to care by 
providing cost-effective, high quality, comprehensive pre-
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ventive and primary health care, and effective care man-
agement for individuals with chronic conditions; 
Whereas, as a result, health centers have compiled a well-doc-
umented record of reducing health disparities and im-
proving patient health outcomes, lowering the overall cost 
of care for their patients by 41 percent as compared to 
overall costs for those who receive care elsewhere, gener-
ating $18,000,000,000 in savings each year for the 
health care system; 
Whereas an expansion of the highly effective health centers 
program to provide a health care home for all 60,000,000 
medically disenfranchised people in the United States 
would increase the overall savings they generate for the 
health care system to more than $80,000,000,000 each 
year; 
Whereas Congress has recognized the value of the care that 
health centers provide to those enrolled in Medicaid, 
Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program 
(CHIP) by making their services a guaranteed benefit 
and by establishing a mechanism to appropriately reim-
burse them for the quality care they provide; 
Whereas private insurance often does not appropriately reim-
burse health centers for the full spectrum of care they 
provide, forcing health centers to divert other funds in-
tended to support care for those in need to instead sub-
sidize under-payments for their privately insured pa-
tients; and 
Whereas millions of people in the United States are in need 
of a health care home like that provided by health cen-
ters, and health centers are a proven model of health care 
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delivery that assures high-quality, cost-effective health 
care in every State of the Union: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That— 
(1) Congress— 
(A) recognizes that the current payment 
mechanisms 
for 
Federally-Qualified 
Health 
Centers in Medicaid, the Children’s Health In-
surance Program (CHIP), and Medicare are es-
sential to assuring access to quality, affordable, 
primary and preventive care services for their 
beneficiaries; and 
(B) recognizes that any expansion of pri-
vate insurance must include mechanisms to en-
sure the full participation of, and appropriate 
reimbursement to, Federally-Qualified Health 
Centers in order to ensure adequate access to 
care for those who are medically underserved 
and disenfranchised; and 
(2) it is the sense of Congress that— 
(A) everyone should have the choice of a 
community health center as their health care 
home and every health center should be appro-
priately reimbursed for the high value preven-
tive and primary health care it provides; and 
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(B) health care reform should include 
measures to expand community health centers 
in order to reach more of those who need a 
health care home. 
Æ 
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