AAFP: Lack of congressional action puts health care of millions at risk

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John Cullen

American Academy of Family Physicians president John Cullen, MD, warned that Congress’ failure to approve comprehensive funding legislation by Nov. 21 — which provides 70% of the funding to community health centers and reauthorizes the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program — could have dire consequences.

The centers provide care to 29 million U.S. residents, and the program is a critical component of efforts to address a U.S. physician shortage, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and AAFP.

“Without the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, we will not be able to increase the number of family physicians that our country needs, nor will they be in the communities that need them,” Cullen told Healio Primary Care.

“Community health centers take care of the most needy populations, including rural and inner city underserved and low-income families,” he added, noting that the lack of funding to these centers could delay disease prevention and diagnosis efforts and therefore contribute to an increase in overall health care costs.

The lack of community health center funding has other trickle-down effects, according to the NACHC.

“Every $1 in federal spending generates $5.73 in economic growth. Failure to act will have a far-reaching and profound impact on health centers’ patients and the local economies,” such as postponing renovations, expansions and hiring the NACHC said in a press release.

Funding and authorization for the two programs was set to expire on Sept. 30, but last week, the U.S. House passed a stopgap funding bill that allows the programs to continue until Nov. 21, according to a NACHC spokesperson and Shawn Martin, AAFP’s senior vice president for advocacy, practice advancement and policy.

Cullen said AAFP is prepared to fight for funding.

“We will continue our strong advocacy efforts to ensure community health centers and teaching health centers have funding that continues their mission and increases their capacity to serve the millions of Americans who depend on them and the primary care physicians they produce,” he said in the interview. – by Janel Miller

Disclosures: Healio Primary Care was unable to confirm Cullen and Martin’s relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.