Christopher Shays: “I join my colleague as well in thanking Mr. Davis for his comments. I am a huge fan of what I call community-based…”

“I join my colleague as well in thanking Mr. Davis for his comments. I am a huge fan of what I call community-based health centers. These clinics, these health centers do awesome work. So, Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 5573, the Health Centers Renewal Act, which will reauthorize the Community Health Center program for 5 more years and increase the program's funding. This continues the strong commitment Congress has shown to these centers over the past 5 years. During the last reauthorization, this administration sought to double the amount of people receiving care through community health centers from 10 million to 20 million. Already nearly 16 million individuals are now receiving quality care, and half of these individuals are uninsured. So of the 46 million uninsured, approximately 8 million are receiving excellent care from these centers. By preventing costly hospitalizations and reducing the use of emergency care for routine services, it is estimated community clinics save the health care system over $6 billion annually. So, in conclusion, I strongly support passage of this legislation so community health centers can continue providing high-quality, cost- effective care. And I thank Mr. Deal and others, including Mr. Green, for bringing this bill out. It is an important bill, and I urge its passage.”