The National Association of Community Health Centers is supportive of both the House and Senate health care reforms, believing that both offer a major improvement over the health care system currently in place. Given the complexity of both bills, NACHC has prepared a "primer" for community health center board members and staff.

• Both bills will allow health centers to keep insurance policies already in place.
• Both bills improve access to affordable health insurance coverage, regardless of illness, pre-existing conditions or employment status.
• The House bill would allow parents to keep unmarried adult children on their health insurance until age 27; the Senate bill, until age 26.
• Both bills make it illegal for insurers to cancel policies if individuals or family members get sick.
• Both bills will not allow denial of coverage due to a pre-existing condition.

• Both bills propose to expand eligiblity for Medicaid and maintain existing protections for health center payments within the program.
• Mandate insurance coverage for everyone. Both establish a new Private Insurance marketplace for those above Medicaid eligiblity levels and new government subsidies directly to help people buy coverage.
• Expand the Health Center program to millions more patients. The House Bill includes $12 billion in increased funding for the Health Centers Program over the next 5 years.
• Both proposals would create new, and enhance existing, incentives for doctors to work in underserved areas of the country and create new programs to cover the costs for training doctors in community health centers.

Passing this health reform legislation will require tremendous action on the part of health care advocates nationwide.

Are you an Idaho Health Care Advocate? Getting involved is easy!
Click on Grassroots Advocacy ! Encourage friends, family, and colleagues to join you.

After you have joined, and you receive an Action Alert asking you to contact your Member of Congress, please respond immediately to let them know how important health reform is to you, your health centers, and the patients served.