Maximizing Outcomes Through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (Mobile) Health Care Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 958) to amend the Public Health Service Act to expand the allowable use criteria for new access points grants for community health centers.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: S. 958
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act''. SEC. 2. NEW ACCESS POINTS GRANTS.
(a) In General.--Section 330(e)(6)(A) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b(e)(6)(A)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(v) Mobile units.--An existing health center may be awarded funds under clause (i) to establish a new delivery site that is a mobile unit, regardless of whether the applicant additionally proposes to establish a permanent, full-time site. In the case of a health center that is not currently receiving funds under this section, such health center may be awarded funds under clause (i) to establish a new delivery site that is a mobile unit only if such health center uses a portion of such funds to also establish a permanent, full-time site.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on January 1, 2024.
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Mr. PALLONE. 958.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 958, the Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for Health Care Act, or the MOBILE Health Care Act. This Senate bill is the companion to H.R. 5141, which passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee last week. The bipartisan bill will help expand access to community health centers and the important care they provide to individuals who live in hard-to-reach areas of the country.
Community health centers are a critical source of care for nearly 30 million Americans. Unfortunately, many people who live in rural and geographically isolated areas can struggle to reach a community health center. Many others may lack access to reliable transportation that can make it difficult to get the care they need.
Now, one way to mitigate these barriers to access is to allow community health centers to establish mobile health clinics. These clinics can meet people where they live to provide the care they need. There is already funding to establish new community health centers through the New Access Points grants but, unfortunately, existing rules for these grants make it difficult to receive Federal funding to set up these mobile sites.
So this legislation will make it easier for community health centers to use New Access Points grants to establish mobile clinics and help eliminate one of the barriers to care for rural areas.
I thank Representatives Susie Lee, Hudson, Ruiz, and Herrera Beutler for their leadership on this issue and their hard work to advance this important bill.
The House companion to this commonsense, bipartisan legislation was voted out of the Energy and Commerce Committee by a unanimous vote of 52-to-0 last week, so I am proud to support this bill, and I look forward to sending it to the President's desk.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 958, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill. It is bipartisan. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.
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