WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) spoke on the Senate floor about the importance of funding Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which provide vital health care services to rural communities. Seventy percent of federal funding for FQHCs expired on October 1^st, threatening access to health care for tens of thousands of people in Maine.

“In Maine, we have 20 centers, and 70 facilities scattered all over our state and they are providing services every day to over 200,000 people,” said Senator King during his remarks. “They’ve saved Medicaid over $100 million in Maine. $257 million is the estimate for what they’ve saved the overall health care system [in Maine]… One in six people in Maine get their health care from FQHC’s. 210,000 people. They accept everybody that comes in the door, I’ve been to them all over the state…These are the rural health care providers for rural America. And it’s not only Maine, it’s across the country. 10,000 sites across the United States, 26 million patients at risk… 

“If we leave at the end of the year and haven’t done this, it will be a tragedy for rural America, it will be a betrayal of rural America, it will be betrayal of our constituents. All of us have been to these centers and seen the care that they provide – the caring that they provide – the passion that people bring to the services in their communities and how much they mean to their communities. This is one of the best federal programs ever created. And it’s always been supported on a bipartisan basis.”

During his remarks, 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. 

Senator King’s speech, which came on National Rural Health Day, is the latest example of his strong advocacy for increased support of rural health services. Last week, he announced his support for three bipartisan bills aimed at improving financial stability for rural hospitals and supporting seniors in rural Maine. He has also met with hospital administrators and health professionals in Bridgton, Lincoln, Skowhegan, Eastport and Machias to discuss the impact changes to the Affordable Care Act would have on rural Maine clinics, hospitals, patients, and local economies. Proposed cuts to health programs like Medicaid would significantly threaten the financial stability of rural hospitals which serve as one of the top employers in fifteen out of Maine’s sixteen counties.

Senator King has opposed several attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and has repeatedly called on his colleagues to engage in bipartisan discussions to make meaningful improvements to the law rather than rushing to repeal it. This summer, Senator King outlined a roadmap of health care priorities to stabilize the health care marketplace and lower the underlying costs of treatment and health coverage for people in Maine and across the country. He is a cosponsor of the bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to stabilize the individual health insurance marketplace.