March 30, 2001
Senate Subcommittee Examines Safety Net Programs
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Public Health Subcommittee held a hearing March 22 to examine the Consolidated Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and the Community Access Program (CAP), all of which are considered part of the safety net that provides care to underserved communities. The NHSC's authorization expired last year and the Consolidated Health Centers, which includes Community Health Centers (CHCs), migrant health centers, homeless health centers and centers that provide health care to individuals in public housing, is up for reauthorization this year. The CAP has not yet been authorized, but received $140 million in FY 2001.
In his opening statement, Chairman Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) recognized the challenges facing these programs and the need to find compromise on the CAP, which is targeted for elimination in President Bush's budget blueprint. He noted the president's commitment to double the number of individuals served by the health centers, and his recommendation of a $124 million increase to reach this goal.
Claude Earl Fox, MD, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), testified that the programs do not need much adjustment in their reauthorizations. He noted a few issues that are being addressed in the NHSC reauthorization: increasing the number of scholarships; reevaluating the 10 percent set aside for nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants, as there are more of these providers than spots available in the field; adjusting the J-1 visa provision; and amending the definition of Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSAs) to include nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). He mentioned that a new Notice of Proposed Rule Making on the HPSA definition is due out in September and will include a provision giving governors more flexibility in determining areas in their states that should be designated as shortage areas.
Other witnesses presented on behalf of the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Community Health Centers, and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems. They reemphasized the importance of the three programs in providing care to the underserved and uninsured.
Information: Erica Froyd, AAMC Office of Governmental Relations, 202-828-0525.
