A new report by the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative finds that repeal of key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, combined with a failure to renew critical funding streams, would result in catastrophic funding losses for community health centers– forcing these safety net providers to cut back on services, lay off staff or shut down clinical sites. Virtually all community health centers would have to pare down or cut services in response to funding losses of this magnitude. Nearly 1 in 4 centers estimate they would lose capacity to care for 5,000 people or more, while three quarters estimate they would lose capacity to serve at least 1,000 people. The report represents the first analysis of the potential effects of the types of health insurance losses contained in legislation now pending in Congress on comprehensive primary health care for medically underserved populations and communities.
The report was authored by Sara Rosenbaum, Jessica Sharac, Thao-Chi Tran, Anne Rossier Markus, David Reynolds, and Peter Shin.