Sen. Cornyn: Passage Of Health Care Safety Net Act Critical To Serving America's Uninsured And Underinsured Populations

Press Release

Sen. Cornyn: Passage Of Health Care Safety Net Act Critical To Serving America's Uninsured And Underinsured Populations

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, made the following statement following unanimous passage in the Senate of the Health Care Safety Net Act, a bill he co-sponsored that will help expand health care services to areas of Texas and the United States that are medically underserved and where uninsured and underinsured populations are high.

"I strongly support the Community Health Center program, which provides health care to millions of Texans and Americans in medically underserved areas. Passage of this important bill is critical to continuing that service to America's uninsured and underinsured populations. It will also allow for growth of the safety net and increase the participation of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals.

"While this bill is an important step in the right direction, several improvements to the program are still needed to ensure the underserved areas that need care the most have access to the health care services these centers provide. I have commitments from my colleagues to work with me to review the health center selection process, because several areas of my state - where many Texans greatly need these services - are disproportionately underserved, and this must be fixed," Sen. Cornyn said.

In 2002, Congress reauthorized the Federal Health Centers Program through 2006 to expand services through the health care safety net. Since then, Congress has steadily increased funding for the program, which has brought effective, affordable primary care services to an additional five million Americans and resulted in new or expanded facilities in more than 900 communities across the country, including many in Texas.

Sen. Cornyn continues to work with state and local leaders and the relevant federal agencies to increase the number of federally qualified health centers in Texas, and ensure existing facilities receive the support and resources they need to increase health care access and decrease costs. He has visited centers across the state to voice his support for their efforts and see first-hand their positive impact.

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