85R12167 RMA-F     By: Lucio S.C.R. No. 40       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, In 2015, community health centers provided   essential primary medical care, dental, behavioral health, and   substance abuse services to more than 1.2 million Texans; of those   individuals, 40 percent lacked health insurance and 70 percent   lived at or below the poverty line; and          WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is home to some 450 community   health centers in 122 counties; dedicated to providing care to all   who need it, regardless of their ability to pay, those facilities   are annually visited by over 4.5 million patients, most of whom   would otherwise have to receive care in an emergency room; and          WHEREAS, Community health centers currently depend on   Medicaid as their largest source of reimbursement, as federal   grants subsidize the cost of treating uninsured patients; however,   70 percent of federal funding for those facilities is set to expire   in September 2017, and without congressional action, many centers   will have to limit or discontinue services to residents in need; and          WHEREAS, An invaluable resource to the areas they serve,   community health centers have contributed immeasurably to the   health and well-being of millions of Texans, and it is necessary for   the federal government to continue supporting these important   efforts; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to preserve   federal funding for community health centers and retain Medicaid   and Children's Health Insurance Program protections for the   centers; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official   copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to   the president of the Senate and to the speaker of the House of   Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the   members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that   this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a   memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.