Community Health Centers Face Potential Federal Cuts

Community clinics across the country could be forced to close or severely limit services as congressional Republicans seek to reduce such centers, according to The Boston Globe.

House Republicans propose cutting $1.3-billion in clinic funds as part of their effort to rein in government spending and undo President Obama’s health-care overhaul, of which local health centers are a cornerstone.

The Senate rejected the House bill including the cut, but a significant reduction is still expected as part of an eventual budget compromise.

Critics of the cuts say the centers save the government money by offering preventive care to low-income and uninsured patients who would otherwise turn to hospital emergency rooms for more expensive treatment.

Rep. Steve King, Republican of Iowa, says he supports community health centers but believes they should be considered separately from the health-care law, which many in Republicans consider unconstitutional and seek to repeal.