Fund the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF)
Overview
Consistent, bipartisan support for federal funding has enabled Community Health Centers, like CommUnityCare Health Centers, to become the largest primary care network in the country, providing high-quality, affordable care to over 30 million low-income and uninsured patients, or 1 in 11 individuals.
Thanks to support and our partnership with Central Health, CommUnityCare Health Centers served over 129,000 unique patients in 2022, of whom, 97% had incomes below 200% of the federal poverty level, 87% self-reported as a minority, 57% were best served in language other than English, and approximately 85% were Travis County residents.
Federal funding is allocated to Community Health Centers through the annual appropriations process and the Community Health Center Fund, which must be periodically reauthorized by Congress.
The funding is set to expire on September 30, 2023, the end of the federal fiscal year 2023 (FY23). This marks the date by which Congress must take action to renew health center funding.
Reauthorization of the Community Health Center Fund in 2023
The National Association for Community Health Centers (NACHC) is focused on passing a bill to reauthorize the federal Community Health Center Fund. The CHCF provides about 70% of federal funding for health centers like CommUnityCare Health Centers and has ensured stable, multi-year base grant funding for 300 grantees since 2015.
This funding stream is determined by the Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee in the House of Representatives and by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee in the Senate.
Read about NACHC’s funding strategy here.
Annual Appropriations
NACHC is working with Congress to ensure health center funding is included in the annual discretionary appropriations for FY24. This stream of funding is determined by the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Check out the letters and lists below to see the members of Congress who are supporting us in this year’s budget process:
FY24 Senate Community Health Center Appropriations Letter here.
FY24 House Community Health Center Appropriations Letter here.
Co-Signers for FY24 House Community Health Center Appropriations Letter here.