Ranking Member Cassidy Requests GAO Report on Community Health Centers
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provide updated information on the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) in light of the committee’s Thursday hearing on community health centers (CHCs). Specifically, Cassidy asked for information on the various revenue streams of CHCs to understand how the program is currently operating. Cassidy also requested the GAO to provide an overview on federal funding for CHCs during the COVID-19 pandemic, including COVID-19 related legislation and the American Rescue Plan Act.
GAO’s most recent review from 2019 indicates that revenue for CHCs has doubled between 2010 and 2017 with Medicaid, Medicare and private payments making up a larger percentage of that total.
On Thursday, March 2nd at 10:00 am, the HELP committee will hold a hearing entitled “Community Health Centers: Saving Lives, Saving Money?” Click here to watch the hearing live.
Read the full letter here or below.
Dear Mr. Dodaro:
As Congress considers the reauthorization of the Community Health Center Fund, we must study the effectiveness of the overall program in achieving its statutorily defined goals. We will also need to examine all funding streams that community health centers receive to understand the health of the program and ensure proper stewardship of American taxpayer dollars.
I request that you update your report, “Health Centers: Trends in Revenue and Grants Supported by the Community Health Center Fund,” with up-to-date data. The current report covers community health center revenue from fiscal years 2011-2017 and the purposes for which grants were awarded during that time period. Specifically, I request that your updated review also include funding for health centers provided by COVID-19 related legislation, and the American Rescue Plan Act.
I hope that you can prioritize this project as we will look to it as we reauthorize the program by the end of this fiscal year. I appreciate your attention to this matter.
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