Sanders calls for expanded community health centers

[Uncle Joe]

(snip)

Community health centers provide services to 28 million people regardless of their ability to pay.

The bill would expand funding for the National Health Service Corps, which gives scholarships and loan repayment to more than 10,000 clinicians working in underserved communities.

"Our primary health care system does not allow people from one end of this country to another to go to their doctor when they need to go to a doctor," said Sanders, I-Vermont. "Community health centers provide dental care, they provide low-cost prescription drugs and they provide mental health counseling-- also an issue of huge concern."

If Congress doesn't act by Sept. 30, some community health centers will lose federal funding they need to keep their doors open.

https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Sanders-calls-for-expanded-community-health-centers-507793021.html

Local news video on the link.

[BlueFlorida]

1. Who will pay for them?

From which part of the budget?

Will this go through the republican senate?

Words are easy. Actions take strategic planning and a detailed knowledge of policies in existence. Without that, it is just like "Trump calls for a wall on the southern border."

[CentralMass]

2. The bill was introduced by Bernie and Jim Clyburn and is cosponsored by

Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) are co-sponsors of the legislation in the Senate and 57 Members in the House are cosponsoring the legislation.

https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-and-clyburn-introduce-bill-to-expand-community-health-centers

"Organizations endorsing the legislation include: National Association for Community Health Centers; The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved; National Medical Association; The National Birth Equity Collaborative; National Black Nurses Association; Mental Health America; Morehouse School of Medicine; National Center for Transgender Equality; The African American Health Alliance; Southeast Asia Resource Center; Black Women’s Health Imperative; National Indian Council on Aging; National Hispanic Council on Aging; Diverse Elders Coalition; Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy; The National LGBTQ Task Force; and The National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc."

The article describes the importance of these community health centers and the urgency to secyre funding for them by September.

[BlueFlorida]

7. No one is saying CHCs are not important and valuable.

Using them as fodder to score political points is just exploiting an issue.

The OP doesn't mention Bernie "together with 57 sponsors including Warren, Harris, Gillibrand and Clyburn" calls for expansion of the CHCs.

He is taking sole credit, which is objectionable.

[George II]

18. From the looks of the documents and press conference, It's probably Clyburn's bill.

[CentralMass]

20. Im not suprized that is your opinion.

[George II]

31. I'm not surprised that you're not surprised.

[NurseJackie]

4. GMTA!

[NurseJackie]

3. Oh, how nice! How will they be funded? Who pays? How will it get through Congress?

[Uncle Joe]

5. Which Congress, this one or the post 2020 Congress?

[BlueFlorida]

6. You think republicans will lose the senate in 2020?

There is a 98.2% chance that republicans will control the senate in 2020 and if there is a Democratic POTUS, they will be even more intransigent and stubborn like they were with Obama.

[Uncle Joe]

8. Should Bernie win the Presidency, that would signify a major tectonic shift in

political power dynamics and I believe this would in turn greatly enhance the chances of Democrats taking back the Senate, possibly to probably by a substantial margin.

[BlueFlorida]

9. Wishful thinking

That is not how politics works in this country.

Most of Bernie supported candidates lost the election even in a massive blue tsunami.

Bernie is even less popular now than he was in 2016.

Look at it this way -- Bernie polls at about 20% in most polls. Which means 80% of the Democrats want someone other than Bernie.

[ehrnst]

23. You mean like Obama winning the presidency did?

I think that you may be putting the cart before the horse in terms of cause and effect. A 'tectonic shift' like you are talking about is the cause of a candidate being elected, not the result of it. Using "signfies" muddles that.

Obama's election "signified" Democrats being willing to put him forward as a candidate, but did not "enhance" Demcratic candidates being elected in 2010. Maybe you could call the backlash against Obama, with all the accusations that he was a Socialist!! even when he was not, leading to a surge in the Tea Party victories in 2010 a "tectonic shift."

In any case, Bernie has to win the Democratic Primary first. Whether or not a "tectonic shift" concerning his support among Democratic voters is forthcoming, has yet to be seen.

[ehrnst]

10. Looks like Hillary really inspired him with her 2016 health care agenda:

Double funding for community health centers, and support the healthcare workforce: As part of her comprehensive health care agenda, Hillary is committed to doubling the funding for primary-care services at community health centers over the next decade. Hillary also supports President Obama’s call for a near tripling of the size of the National Health Service Corps.

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/health-care/

Good for Bernie - he knows where to look for good ideas.

[Uncle Joe]

11. GOP OFFICIALS PUBLICLY DENOUNCE BERNIE SANDERS' OBAMACARE EXPANSION, QUIETLY REQUEST FUNDING

(snip)

Despite the inherent limitations of a self-described democratic socialist who eschews the norms of Beltway fundraising, the Democratic presidential candidate from Vermont has won legislative victory after victory on an issue that has been dear to him since his days as Burlington’s mayor.

That issue is the simultaneously benign and revolutionary expansion of federally qualified community health clinics.

Over the years, Sanders has tucked away funding for health centers in appropriation bills signed by George W. Bush, into Barack Obama’s stimulus program, and through the earmarking process. But his biggest achievement came in 2010 through the Affordable Care Act. In a series of high-stakes legislative maneuvers, Sanders struck a deal to include $11 billion for health clinics in the law.

The result has made an indelible mark on American health care, extending the number of people served by clinics from 18 million before the ACA to an expected 28 million next year.

(snip)

https://theintercept.com/2015/07/06/gop-senators-support-sanders-obamacare-expansion/

This is a good read.

P.S. I'm not shouting, I copy and paste the headline as written.

Peace to you ehrnst.

[ehrnst]

12. The Intercept.

Not going to see anything positive about HRC there (or any actual Democrat, really), especially concerning her CHIP accomplishments with Ted Kennedy. She ticked many people off being a mere FLOTUS and taking health care reform on when there were men who believed it was their cause, but not Ted He had been there done that with Single Payer in 1972, and knew an effective, sharp advocate for health care reform when he saw it.

https://khn.org/news/kennedy-health-care-timeline/

Peace to you, Joe.

[George II]

15. Yes, the Intercept and from 2015.

[Uncle Joe]

16. I scanned the article again, this one

makes no mention of Hillary, it just speaks of Bernie's history on the subject while in the Congress.

I'm out for the day, have a good night.

[ehrnst]

17. Perhaps a scan of the Intercept for any positive commentary on Democratic

leaders would be instructive. Especially Hillary, who apparently has originated nothing of value....

Even when an Hillary For America state lead wins a mayoral race, In the Intercept they become a "Sanders endorsed win" and a "rebuke to the establishment," even though they may have 'backed" Clinton in 2016. Clearly they won 'despite' being a senior staffer for Hillary from the primary on.

From the article: "But his biggest achievement came in 2010 through the Affordable Care Act. In a series of high-stakes legislative maneuvers, Sanders struck a deal to include $11 billion for health clinics in the law."

Bernie used that very article when WAPO and Politico fact checked his claims about "helping to author the ACA." Interesting that he needed to go to the Intercept to frame this, instead of simply stating what he did, and letting that speak.

What was not included in the Intercept:

Politico went on to quote Sanders saying, "I have made it clear to the administration and Democratic leadership that my vote for the final bill is by no means guaranteed."

A few weeks later, Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank reported that Sanders was still undecided on supporting the primary Democratic bill. "I am talking to the Democratic leadership, trying my best to salvage some positive things in this bill, so I am not on board yet."

And on Dec. 18, the New York Times quoted Sanders saying, ''I don't sleep well. I am struggling with this issue very hard, trying to sort out what is positive in this bill, what is negative in the bill, what it means for our country if there is no health insurance legislation, when we will come back to it. … And I have to combine that with the fact that I absolutely know that the insurance companies and the drug companies will be laughing all the way to the bank the day after this is passed.''

Bernie gets credit for many, many, many things in the Intercept, while Democrats get pretty much only the blame for many, many, many things. Then again, research is secondary in a fan 'zine. Using it as a citation can be fraught with issues when it references Sanders and Democratic policy.

Have a good night.

[George II]

13. Hm, a four year old article from the Intercept. Then there's this....

....only two days ago:

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/03/bernie-sanders-wont-back-house-democrats-obamacare-bill.html

Bernie Sanders Won’t Support House Democrats’ Plan to Strengthen Obamacare

Fears that progressives will make support for a single-payer health care system a mandatory litmus test for all Democrats became more serious on Tuesday night as Bernie Sanders refused to support, or say anything positive about, a very high-profile House Democratic bill aimed at strengthening Obamacare. Per a Washington Examiner account of Sanders’s interview with Chris Hayes:

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is running for president and has greatly influenced Democrats’ policy positions, said Tuesday that he does not support a bill introduced by House leaders to expand Obamacare.

“No, I support the ‘Medicare for all’ single-payer program,” Sanders said when MSNBC’s Chris Hayes asked him about the legislation that was introduced earlier that day. Asked a second time to clarify his stance and whether he supported incremental changes to the healthcare system, Sanders again replied that he did not support the bill.

As Hayes noted, this was a new position for Sanders:

Link to tweet

[ehrnst]

14. Yes, I saw that, too.

I guess all politicians 'evolve' at some point.

[lapucelle]

19. Oh look! That plank of her agenda made its way into the 2016 Democratic Party Platform

Supporting Community Health Centers

We must renew and expand our commitment to Community Health Centers, as well as community mental health centers and family planning centers. These health centers provide critically important, community-based prevention and treatment in underserved communities, prevent unnecessary and expensive trips to emergency rooms, and are essential to the successful implementation of the ACA. We will fight for a comprehensive system of primary health care, including dental, mental health care, and low-cost prescription drugs by doubling of funding for federally qualified community health centers over the next decade, which currently serve 25 million people.

Democrats also know that one of the key ingredients to the success of these health centers is a well-supported and qualified workforce in community-based settings. We will fight to train and support this workforce, encourage providers to work with underserved populations through the National Health Service Corps, and create a comprehensive strategy to increase the pool of primary health care professionals.

https://democrats.org/about/party-platform/#healthcare

I'm always a bit puzzled by the number of voters (and perhaps even candidates) who seem to have never bothered to read the platform.

[sheshe2]

22. looks like she pushed him to the left. nt

[CentralMass]

21. A video of Senator Sanders and Congressman Clyburn discussing the bill.

Congressman Clyburn and Senator Sanders are friends and have been working together on this issue since 2009.

Here is a video of the two discussing the bill along with two communuty center CEO's speaking about it.

[ehrnst]

24. I recall that Jim Clyburn was a supporter of Hillary's 2016 run.

Clyburn said he had worked with both Clinton and Bernie Sanders and that both were "pleasant and enjoyable."

[CentralMass]

25. I'm a big fan of the Congressman.

[ehrnst]

30. I look forward to seeing who he endorses in this primary. (nt)

[watoos]

27. Now, now, there you go veering from the narrative of this thread,

Bernie Bashing.

[Soxfan58]

26. The nearest community health center is 100 miles away

This does nothing for rural americans

[watoos]

28. Yeah, I agree,

what in the world are Clyburn, Liz, Kamala and Kirsten thinking? They must all just be trying to score political points. Ok then, have we decided not to vote for the sponsors and co-sponsors of this Bill?

Who is next? We haven't bashed Tulsi for a while.

[Historic NY]

29. CHC have popped up all around my county....

most transitioned from Urgent Care centers. As more and more of the ACA is cut away they aren't flourishing as funding dwindles. We have seen some closeup shop. One of the largest county-wide centers just announce its doing away with its patient health plan that they funded. The need it there but survival is doubtful w/o the funding.