HR3590 Health Care Bill & Government Health Insurance

The Affordable Care Act does more than just ensure that America has access to resources that could provide for their health care needs; it also provides an infusion of funding into community health centers, which, in turn, creates good-paying jobs.

Richard Sorian, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs of the Department of Health and Human Services, wrote that community health centers have played an integral role in providing “comprehensive, high-quality preventive and primary health care,” regardless of whether the patients have the ability to pay for services or not, for more than 45 years.

Community health centers have served as the primary source of health care for many Americans, who turn to these centers for prevention and treatment. Across the country, there are more than 8,100 community health care centers, serving almost 20 million people.

Primary health care and preventive services, however, are not all that these centers provide. Sorian wrote in part: “In addition to keeping our families healthy, community health centers help keep local economies healthy by creating good-paying jobs.”

Last week, the HHS revealed that $700 million in new funding has been made available for use towards the renovation and construction of community health centers. The funds were made possible by the Affordable Care Act.

With this infusion of funding, thousands of jobs may potentially be created across the country. Sorian shared that since 2009, 18,600 new full-time positions in community health centers were added, in facilities located in the “most economically distressed communities.”

Health care reform, therefore, does not simply invest in the health of Americans; by creating jobs, it is also potentially able to make our communities more robust.