June 1, 2000
Join 205 of your Bipartisan Colleagues in Supporting Health Care for Low-Income, Uninsured, and Medically Underserved Americans
Dear Colleague:
Community, migrant, homeless, and public housing health centers provide care to more than 11 million people living in America’s inner city and rural areas. Anyone, rich or poor, insured or uninsured, can receive important primary and preventive health care services at their local health centers. At a time when 1 out of every 6 Americans lacks health insurance, community health centers are vital to protect working poor families that cannot afford insurance and would have few other options to receive care in their communities.
Because of health centers’ and rural health clinics’ important roles in providing health care to medically needy communities, we introduced the Safety Net Preservation Act. This legislation would ensure that centers and clinics can continue to provide health care services to uninsured Americans who have nowhere else to turn for the care they need. By requiring that Medicaid cover a health center’s cost for providing care to Medicaid patients, this legislation would protect the 1 billion dollars in federal grants that are used to help health centers care for more than 4.5 million uninsured Americans.
No small business can survive if it is forced to sell its goods for less than cost–health centers are no different. By ensuring that health centers are paid enough for their Medicaid patients, the Safety Net Preservation Act allows them to provide care to more uninsured Americans. That is not only fair, it is also smart. Health centers save millions of dollars every year in lower emergency room costs because their patients are diagnosed and treated early.
The Safety Net Preservation Act:
Controls the cost of health care services by capping annual payment increases;
Provides incentives for health centers and clinics to become more efficient;
Protects State and Federal budgets by controlling the growth of Medicaid spending; and
Ensures that health centers can continue to provide care for poor and working uninsured Americans.
If you would like more information about this common sense, bipartisan legislation, or if you would like to cosponsor H.R. 2341, please contact Jenny Hansen (Rep. Burr-52071) or Brenda Pillors (Rep. Towns-55936).
Sincerely,
Rep. Richard Burr (R-NC) Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY)
Return to "Safety Net Preservation Act" Main Page
Current Cosponsors of the Safety Net Preservation Act
Alabama
Rep. Callahan
Rep. Cramer
Rep. Hilliard
Arkansas
Rep. Berry
Rep. Hutchinson
Rep. Dickey
Arizona
Rep. Pastor
Rep. Hayworth
California
Rep. Thompson
Rep. Matsui
Rep. Woolsey
Rep. Pelosi
Rep. Lee
Rep. Lantos
Rep. Stark
Rep. Eshoo
Rep. Lofgren
Rep. Farr
Rep. Radanovich
Rep. Dooley
Rep. Capps
Rep. Berman
Rep. Waxman
Rep. Becerra
Rep. Dixon
Rep. Roybal-Allard
Rep. Kuykendall
Rep. Millender-McDonald
Rep. Bilbray
Rep. Filner
Rep. Cunningham
Colorado
Rep. DeGette
Rep. Udall
Connecticut
Rep. Larson
Rep. Gejdenson
Rep. DeLauro
Rep. Shays
Rep. Maloney
Rep. Johnson
District of Columbia
Del. Norton
Florida
Rep. Brown
Rep. Thurman
Rep. Stearns
Rep. Bilirakis
Rep. Canady
Rep. Goss
Rep. Foley
Rep. Meek
Rep. Deutsch
Rep. Diaz-Balart
Georgia
Rep. Bishop
Rep. McKinney
Rep. Lewis
Rep. Isakson
Rep. Chambliss
Rep. Deal
Rep. Norwood
Hawaii
Rep. Abercrombie
Rep. Mink
Illinois
Rep. Rush
Rep. Jackson
Rep. Lipinski
Rep. Gutierrez
Rep. Blagojevich
Rep. Davis
Rep. Crane
Rep. Schakowsky
Rep. Porter
Rep. Weller
Rep. Costello
Rep. Ewing
Rep. Manzullo
Rep. Evans
Rep. LaHood
Rep. Phelps
Rep. Shimkus
Indiana
Rep. Carson
Kentucky
Rep. Whitfield
Rep. Northup
Rep. Fletcher
Louisiana
Rep. Jefferson
Rep. Tauzin
Rep. John
Maryland
Rep. Gilchrest
Rep. Wynn
Rep. Cummings
Massachusetts
Rep. Olver
Rep. McGovern
Rep. Frank
Rep. Tierney
Rep. Markey
Rep. Capuano
Rep. Delahunt
Michigan
Rep. Stupak
Rep. Hoekstra
Rep. Ehlers
Rep. Camp
Rep. Barcia
Rep. Upton
Rep. Stabenow
Rep. Kildee
Rep. Bonior
Rep. Conyers
Rep. Dingell
Minnesota
Rep. Sabo
Rep. Oberstar
Mississippi
Rep. Thompson
Rep. Pickering
Rep. Shows
Missouri
Rep. Danner
Montana
Rep. Hill
Nevada
Rep. Berkley
New Jersey
Rep. Andrews
Rep. LoBiondo
Rep. Smith
Rep. Pallone
Rep. Pascrell
Rep. Rothman
Rep. Payne
Rep. Menendez
New Mexico
Rep. Wilson
Rep. Udall
New York
Rep. Meeks
Rep. Nadler
Rep. Towns
Rep. Owens
Rep. Velazquez
Rep. Maloney
Rep. Rangel
Rep. Lowey
Rep. Kelly
Rep. Gilman
Rep. McNulty
Rep. Hinchey
Rep. Slaughter
Rep. LaFalce
North Carolina
Rep. Clayton
Rep. Etheridge
Rep. Price
Rep. Burr
Rep. McIntyre
Rep. Hayes
Rep. Watt
North Dakota
Rep. Pomeroy
Ohio
Rep. Portman
Rep. Hall
Rep. Oxley
Rep. Gillmor
Rep. Strickland
Rep. Hobson
Rep. Kaptur
Rep. Kucinich
Rep. Jones
Rep. Brown
Rep. Sawyer
Rep. Pryce
Rep. Traficant
Rep. Ney
Oregon
Rep. Wu
Rep. DeFazio
Rep. Hooley
Pennsylvania
Rep. Brady
Rep. Fattah
Rep. Klink
Rep. Weldon
Rep. Greenwood
Rep. Kanjorski
Rep. Hoeffel
Rep. Coyne
Rep. Goodling
Rep. Mascara
Rep. English
Rhode Island
Rep. Kennedy
Rep. Weygand
South Carolina
Rep. Spratt
Rep. Clyburn
Tennessee
Rep. Ford
Texas
Rep. Sandlin
Rep. Turner
Rep. Hall
Rep. Hinojosa
Rep. Stenholm
Rep. Combest
Rep. Bonilla
Rep. Frost
Rep. Ortiz
Utah
Rep. Cook
Virginia
Rep. Scott
Rep. Sisisky
Rep. Goode
Rep. Moran
Rep. Boucher
Vermont
Rep. Sanders
Washington
Rep. Baird
Rep. Dicks
Rep. McDermott
Rep. Smith
West Virginia
Rep. Wise
Rep. Rahall
Wisconsin
Rep. Barrett
Wyoming
Rep. Cubin