Newark, New Jersey – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (DN.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, celebrated National Health Center Week today with medical professionals from the Newark Community Health Center . The senator, an advocate for community health centers, emphasized the importance of adequately funding federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that provide a wide range of high-quality medical services in communities throughout New Jersey. .
“Combined with all the other provisions to reduce day-to-day costs, a bill called the Inflation Reduction Act will allow more families here in Newark to afford to see a doctor at their nearest community health center. We do this because we know how difficult it is for CHC and their staff to get treatment. You know the difference between the discoveries of Senator Menendez said. “And when it comes to the health and well-being of our communities, we know that the work we do here is important, especially in uninsured and underserved communities. Senior US Senate As a member of Congress, I see my job in Washington as supporting the ongoing work here at Newark Community Health.”
Just yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced nearly $90 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding for community health centers nationwide. In total he will receive $1,440,200, including his $65,000 from the Newark Community Health Center, a health center in New Jersey.
New Jersey operates 24 community health centers in 135 locations, providing a variety of health care services to approximately 600,000 New Jersey citizens.
Senator Menendez last appeared at the Newark Community Health Center in March when he announced co-sponsorship of the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which would limit out-of-pocket insulin payments to $35 a month. A key provision of the bill was included in the historic Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Senate on Sunday to cut Medicare’s insulin costs for seniors. Unfortunately, Republicans blocked efforts to ensure that this also benefits individuals with private insurance.
Senator Menendez has long championed community health centers, recognizing their importance in low- and middle-income communities. At ARP, the senator secured her $7.6 billion in FQHC, including her $129,653,750 in FQHC in New Jersey. In 2019, Sen. Menendez, along with her colleagues, introduced the Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence (CHIME) Act, which provides her five-year extension of her mandatory CHC funding.
As the author of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Senator Menendez committed CHC to $11 billion in mandatory funding over five years for new and existing programs to expand access to health services. I upvoted the amendment you provided. This he will expire in 2015. Since 2015, Sen. Menendez has helped secure her two-year individual extension of the program.
Senator Menendez also endorsed amendments contained in the final article of the ACA. This would require the exchange’s private insurance plans to fully reimburse him for his FQHC at the same rate as Medicaid to ensure the economic viability of community medical centers and authorize them properly. The valuable role they play in the American healthcare system.
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