Health Policy News:
Bipartisan Agreement Reached on Five-Year CHC Funding, Lower Prescription Drug Costs, And Other Health Care Legislation

Legislation ends surprise medical bills; funds Community Health Centers for five years; increases the purchasing age of tobacco to 21; lowers prescription drug and other medical costs by requiring more transparency and competition

WASHINGTON, December 8, 2019 — Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) along with Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-Ore.) today announced they have reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on legislation to lower what Americans pay out of pocket for their health care. Read more .


Health Center Advocacy Network Says We Can't Stop Here. Continue to Take Action!

The bipartisan, bicameral (House and Senate) agreement reached still is scheduled to go before the House and the Senate for a vote by December 20.

A message from the Health Center Advocacy Network: Your voice is making a difference! 
 
We are encouraged to see today’s announcement that the leadership of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), alongside the House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) have reached an agreement on potential offsets for a five year extension of important public health programs, including the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF), the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and the Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (THCGME) programs. The provision, included in legislation to lower out of pocket health care costs for Americans, provides nearly $20 billion for five years of funding for health centers.
 
Let's do our part to make long-term, stable funding a reality.
 
Remind Congress: Community Health Centers (CHCs) have long partnered with Congress and previous Administrations to provide integrated, innovative primary care and tackle the tough public health issues of our time – opioid addiction, HIV/AIDs, maternal mortality, caring for veterans and natural disasters.
 
Keep making noise so that both the House and Senate pass this funding by Dec 20!

(It takes less than three minutes.)
Missouri Medicaid Expansion Could Appear on the November 2020 Ballot
HealthCareForMissouri.org offers these key takeaways, benefits, costs savings, myths, and the rural impact: http://accesshealthnews.net/momedicaid
Mark Your Calendar!
Plan to Attend MRHA Conference 2020!
# MO Medicaid

Join the Medicaid Expansion Campaign
Medicaid expansion would bring more than a billion of our tax dollars home from Washington to:
  • Deliver health care to more than 200,000 individuals
  • Create thousands of jobs -- which will boost Missouri's economy
  • Keep rural hospitals open
Help us get Medicaid expansion on the Missouri ballot in November 2020.

To help advocate for #MOMedicaid, download this toolkit .
In Case You Missed It ...
Revisit the National Rural Health Day Twitter Chat that featured our very own, Toniann Richard: https://twitter.com/i/moments/1197903158804123648
The Missouri Rural Health Association (MRHA) and HealthTran have issued a call for presentations. Follow this link for details:
A Couple of Ways to Give
HCC Appreciates Your Generosity
HCC and its Live Well Centers provide a variety of primary, dental, mental, and social care services. We stretch and maximize every single dollar received. We are asking for you to support us.

  • One way is to donate by shopping Smile.Amazon.com and selecting Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County as your organization of choice.
  • Another way to donate is by making an online donation through PayPal's Giving Fund.

Thank you in advance for your support!