This week, the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Foundation Research Collaborative has released two new data notes examining the growth of community health centers and the potential far-reaching implications of CHC funding delays and Medicaid unwinding.
Our analyses find that health center capacity has markedly expanded, increasing from 19.5 million people served in 2010 to more than 30.5 million served in 2022, as health centers leveraged significant federal investments to expand access and strengthen the health center program. However, delays in the renewal of federal funding threaten current operations and future growth. These challenging funding delays are occurring as the progression of Medicaid unwinding threatens access to care. Our updated analysis estimates that 2.6 million health center Medicaid patients nationally could lose coverage once the full unwinding is completed.
Community health centers could expect to lose up to $2.8 billion in revenue, resulting in sharp declines in staffing and patient care capacity, and potentially reducing by 2.14 million the number of patients served. With the current Continuing Resolution set to expire on November 17, these studies underscore the importance of federal funding for community health centers and primary care workforce programs to prevent disruptions in care and ensure continued access to essential, high quality health care services.
The two studies are available now on the Geiger Gibson Program website: