FEDERAL UPDATE Feb 2024

Health Center Funding

Congress passed a continuing resolution that extends health center funding until March 8th. 

During last week's "Today with Macrae," Jim Macrae stated that HRSA is "preparing for a range of possibilities" regarding how much Congress ultimately decides to provide to health centers this year a conversations around funding continue. 

The House proposes a $400M per year increase in CHC funding for two years, while the Senate has a $1.8B per year increase for three years. The Senate also reserves 15% of the increase for "base adjustments" and creates a separate $3 billion capital funding stream for health centers.

CMS Announces $50 Million in Grants for School-Based Health Services

CMS announced a $50 million grant opportunity for up to 20 states to implement/expand school-based health programs for children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. 

The funding will bolster states abilities to support important school-based health services like mental health care. The Notice of Funding Opportunity for CMS’s State Grants for the Implementation, Enhancement, and Expansion of Medicaid and CHIP School-Based Services can be found here and a joint letter from HHS/DOE to the nation's state governors can be found here.