Jeff Bingaman: “As we proceed with this consideration of S. 1--and I believe firmly that it will be passed through the Senate this…”

“As we proceed with this consideration of S. 1--and I believe firmly that it will be passed through the Senate this week--we need to be very careful not to create unintended consequences as a result of our legislation. The previous amendment I discussed tries to head off some unintended and certainly undesirable consequences for safety net hospitals. This amendment tries to do the very same thing with regard to community health centers. Let me explain what this amendment does. First, I am concerned about the implications that passing this underlying legislation as it now is pending in the Senate could have on the Nation's community health centers. Community health centers have enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress. They have enjoyed strong support from the President. The President and the Congress have committed to doubling the funding for community health centers over a 5-year period. That is an encouraging development. Health centers provide care to over 13 million people annually, nearly 1 million of whom are low-income Medicare beneficiaries.”