WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today announced his support for the Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence (CHIME) Act. This legislation would support Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC), which provide vital health care services to rural communities in Maine, by reauthorizing the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) for five years.

            “Federally Qualified Health Centers are critical to the health and vibrancy of Maine’s rural communities, providing people across our state with access to patient-driven care,” Senator King said. “Washington’s inability to adequately fund community health centers puts millions throughout the country in danger of losing access to quality health services and creates uncertainty for tens of thousands of dedicated workers in the health care industry. Congress must act so we can do right by the American people and fund community health centers, which mean so much to so many.”

In addition to reauthorizing CHCF and NHSC for five years, the bipartisan bill provides four percent increases for the CHCF and NHSC. Without extension of the CHCF, which expired on October 1, 2017, community health centers will lose seventy percent of their federal funding. This will result in an estimated 2,800 site closures, the loss of 50,000 jobs, and result in 9 million Americans losing their access to care.

FQHCs, also known as community health centers, are a critical component of the nation’s primary care network, serving approximately 26 million patients at over 10,000 sites throughout the United States. Community health centers operate in both rural and urban areas, in every state in the nation. Last year, health centers were the medical home for one in twelve Americans, one in ten children, one in six Americans living in rural areas, and more than 330,000 of our nation’s veterans.

Senator King has been outspoken in his support for FQHCs, which provide care to over 200,000 people in Maine. In November, the Senator spoke on the Senate floor to underscore the critical need to fund community health centers. In Maine, the state’s 20 centers and 70 facilities have saved Medicaid in Maine over $100 million and the Maine Primary Care Association estimates FQHCs have saved $257 million in the overall health care system in Maine.

During his remarks in November, Senator King highlighted a recent letter from the leader of one of Maine’s 20 FQHCs. The letter lays out the challenges FQHCs are already facing based on the uncertainty of funding: a dentist recruit, who had been trained by the center in question, had his application placed on hold, calling his future employment in the region into question. This dentist’s presence is vital, as 3,000 community members are currently being served by a dentist who is planning to retire; based on uncertainty alone, thousands of people in Maine could be left without a viable option for dental care.

Joining Senator King in supporting the CHIME Act are Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich,), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

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