Republicans are Ignoring the Health Care Needs of the Nation’s Poorest Families

This is an opinion piece by Jim Mangia, the president and CEO of St. John's Well Child and Family Center in South Los Angeles.

The Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) was created in 2010 through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It aimed to expand the reach of the Community Health Centers Program that was introduced in 1965 to provide health care to the nation’s most poverty-stricken families. The CHCF is one of the primary reasons that St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, one of nearly 10,000 community health centers in the United States, has been able to more than double our patient base since the passage of the ACA. Since 2010, we’ve opened our doors to thousands of Angelenos who had never even seen a doctor before.

Today, community health centers like St. John’s provide lifesaving care to over 24 million Americans. We provide primary medical care, dental services, mental health support, medicine, diagnostic testing, substance abuse services, and more. Without community health centers, many low-income folks living in inner-city and rural areas would not have access to health care at all, whether due to lack of ability to pay, citizenship status, or a lack of other resources in the area. At the end of the day, our patients often come to us when they have nowhere else to turn.

In October, Congress failed to renew funding for the CHCF. Today, their inaction is threatening to close the doors of thousands of public health centers across the nation. Despite being regularly deemed one of the top three most efficient and effective federal programs by the Office of Management and Budget, the historically bipartisan Community Health Centers Program is in grave danger, and could be shut down as soon as this Friday when the CHCF officially ends unless legislative action is taken. The CHCF can only be saved if Republicans-- who control both the Senate and the House-- finally negotiate with Democrats after months of refusing to do so.

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Since Republicans seem to enjoy pretending that jobs and the economy are their party’s main priority, here are some numbers that might peak their interest: St. John’s Well Child and Family Center provides free healthcare and medicine to more than 100,000 patients in South Los Angeles -- the largest area of contiguous poverty in the continental United States. We stand to lose over $8 million, or 10 percent of our current budget, if this program is not reauthorized. This means we would be forced to close six of our 15 health centers, hundreds of local residents would lose their jobs, and thousands of South LA’s most vulnerable families would lose access to vital healthcare services.

Worse still, South LA is far from being the only community who would be hard-hit by the end of the CHCF. In California, one-in-six residents who rely on community health centers would lose access to their care, over 33,000 people would lose their jobs, and a $3.9 billion hole would be blown in our state’s economy. Nationwide, nine million patients would lose access to care, and more than 50,000 jobs will be eliminated as more than 2,800 health center locations throughout the country close their doors.

We can’t keep pretending that we’re a civilized nation while systematically threatening to end health care for millions of hard working Americans. It’s time for Congress to do its job and reauthorize the CHCF now to protect the lives and jobs of millions of Americans. At the end of the day, access to comprehensive, affordable health care is a fundamental human right for all. It’s time Republicans start recognizing that.

Congressional inaction has put the health care of tens of millions of Americans who rely on community health centers at risk. Contact your representative today and demand they reauthorize critical funding for community health centers, which care for some of the nation's most vulnerable populations.