U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Community Health Center Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin helped reintroduce the bipartisan Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence (CHIME) Act, led by Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), to reauthorize community health center funding for five years. Senator Baldwin has been a strong advocate for reauthorizing funding for community health centers.

“Wisconsin families rely on community health centers across our state for quality and affordable health care services, including preventive care, vision services and low-cost dental care,” said Senator Baldwin. “We need to provide funding for our community health centers so they can continue providing care to thousands of Wisconsinites. This bipartisan legislation will keep these vital community health centers open and serving their communities.”

“Community health centers serve more than half a million Missourians, including many veterans and individuals who are uninsured or live in underserved areas,” said Senator Blunt. “These centers save lives and lower health care costs by offering a wide range of behavioral and physical health treatment services and reducing the number of expensive, unnecessary trips to emergency rooms or hospitals. This bipartisan bill will ensure community health centers and the National Health Service Corps have the resources to continue providing quality, affordable health care services in communities across the state. I will continue working to make sure people who rely on community health centers have access to the care they need.”

“These centers are a lifeline and safety net for more than 28 million people nationally and more than 700,000 people in Michigan, including 217,000 children and 13,000 veterans,” said Senator Stabenow. “Continuing the program and increasing funding before it expires on September 30th will provide certainty to health care providers and clinics, continue services for the children and families who now depend on these centers, and begin to address the unmet need of so many others for affordable, quality health care.”

Funding for the program will expire September 30, 2019. Community health centers provide comprehensive medical, dental, vision and behavioral health services to underserved communities. In addition, the bipartisan bill provides annual funding increases for community health centers beginning in 2020.

The CHIME Act is also cosponsored by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Carper (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Doug Jones (D-AL), Angus King (I-ME), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

The full legislation is available here.