Health Centers Reauthorization: An Overview of Achievements and Challenges


 

Publication Date: March 2006

Publisher: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Author(s):

Research Area: Health

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This report reviews the role of community health centers in the nation's health care safety net. Today, over 1,000 federally funded and “look-alike” health centers serve 14.3 million people, three-quarters of whom are uninsured or covered by Medicaid.

As health centers look toward legislative reauthorization in 2006, they face several policy challenges reviewed in this report, including an increase in the uninsured populations, potential decreases in Medicaid revenue, and a need to increase health centers' workforce.