WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Roberts (R-KS) today applauded Senate approval of legislation he helped write to renew two important health programs for Kansas: adding incentives to attract more primary care physicians and other health professionals to medically underserved areas and expanding Community Health Centers throughout Kansas. The bill now goes to the House for their consideration.

"I am pleased we passed this legislation to give more Kansans access to quality, affordable health services, especially in rural areas. Our rural communities in Kansas have unique needs and these programs attract more primary health professionals to help rural patients and providers," Senator Roberts said. "As Co-Chairman of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, I believe improving access to quality health care is essential to preserving our rural way of life."

The "Health Care Safety Net Act of 2008" provides for increased funding for the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) program which is a long-standing federal loan repayment and scholarship program focused on getting primary care physicians and other primary health professionals to medically underserved areas. These professionals go to areas that critically need the manpower and have trouble recruiting health professionals and receive loan repayment or scholarships in exchange for serving a certain number of years in a community. Kansas had forty-six placements across the state in 2006, with the bulk of these professionals located in rural areas.

Also as part of this legislation, the Community Health Centers program is renewed and expanded for another five years. Community Health Centers (CHC) are local, non-profit, community-owned health care providers serving low-income and medically underserved communities. Nationally, the network of community health centers has been in existence for over 40 years and provides high-quality, affordable primary care and preventive services, including dental, pharmaceutical, mental health and substance abuse services. Kansas has ten federally-funded Community Health Centers located in Kansas and two located in Missouri that serve Kansans.

"This is a program that works," Roberts said. "Community health centers are the primary care safety net for so many Kansans and these centers provide critical services to Kansans each day, regardless of a patient’s insurance status or ability to pay. Studies have shown that those who use this program are healthier and use emergency rooms less, which keeps costs lower for all Kansans. It is my hope that passage of this bill will allow this program to expand to other Kansas communities. "

Finally, the bill includes a provision Roberts, along with other members of the Senate Rural Health Caucus, championed to ensure Rural Health Clinics in Kansas can continue to keep their doors open. Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) provide affordable health care to rural and frontier areas. In Kansas, there are over 180 RHCs. Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that changes the designation timeline for RHCs under the Medicare program. This proposal threatens the eligibility of hundreds of RHCs across the country, including Kansas, because of the administrative burden this new requirement poses. Roberts’ provision eases this burden and simply puts the RHC designation process under Medicare on the same timeline that states and other federal agencies currently use.

"I am very pleased we were able to stand up for rural health care and our Rural Health Clinics in Kansas," Roberts said. "It is critical that we don’t drown these clinics in administrative red-tape. This is why my provision simplifies the designation process for these clinics and ensures these facilities can keep their doors open and continue to serve Kansas patients."

Roberts, who serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, is an original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation. In 2007, Senator Roberts was awarded the 2007 Distinguished Community Health Super Hero Award by the National Association of Community Health Centers and the Kansas Association of the Medically Underserved, for his support of the bill.

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