Community health centers are the foundation for universal health care. Congressman Clyburn has been saying so since 1994, when he worked with President Clinton to expand funding and access to community health centers as part of the President’s health care reform initiative. As part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Congressman Clyburn helped create the Community Health Centers Fund. Largely because of that fund, community health center funding has tripled since 2002.
Community health centers play a key role in the implementation of the ACA. With tens of millions of newly insured individuals—many in rural parts of the country—the question needed to be asked about who would provide primary and preventative care. Fortunately, that is exactly the role that community health centers play in rural communities. These institutions have taken the lead in offering care to all communities, especially those distant from hospitals and clinics concentrated in urban areas.
Today, more than 1,000 centers provide care for more than 19.5 million patients across the country—including 180,000 people in South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District. Federal grants have helped drive the expansion in care offered by community health centers, enabling them to serve 25% more patients than would be possible without this funding. Congressman Clyburn is an unwavering advocate and is dedicated to continued and expanded community health center funding.