Federal Update
Congressional Budget Office Releases Cost Estimates on Impact of AHCA
May 24, 2017 – The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) completed an estimate of the direct spending and revenue effects of H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA), as passed by the House of Representatives. CBO and JCT estimate that enacting the AHCA would reduce federal deficits by $119 billion over the coming decade and increase the number of people who are uninsured by 23 million in 2026 relative to current law. Read more here.
President Releases FY18 Budget Proposal
May 23, 2017 – President Trump released his FY18 budget proposal, which reflects the administration’s priorities for federal spending in the upcoming fiscal year. The President’s budget serves as a blueprint for national priorities and is submitted to Congress as part of the appropriations process. NACHC released a blog post summarizing the potential impact of the budget on health centers, including a two-year fix to the health center funding cliff, extensions of workforce programs and CHIP, and deep cuts to Medicaid. Access NACHC’s post here.
House Passes ACA Repeal-and-Replace Bill
May 4, 2017 – House Republicans passed by a narrow 217-213 vote margin an amended version of the American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA), their proposed repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Read NACHC’s blog post on the topic here.
Senate Approves FY17 Spending Bill
May 4, 2017 – Senate passes a fiscal year 2017 funding bill that will fund the government through the end of September 2017. The bill covers health care agency and program funding, largely following the outline of measures developed last year. Read more here.
NMTC Program Update: 2017 Application Round Now Open
May 2, 2017 – The US Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) announced the opening of the calendar year 2017 New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) application round. Up to $3.5 billion in tax credit allocation authority are available and the deadline for CDEs to apply is June 21 ,2017. More information is available here on the CDFI Fund website. To find out how Capital Link can help your health center capitalize on this invaluable financing option, please contact Jonathan Chapman, Director of Community Health Center Advisory Services at 970-833-8513 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
New HRSA Administrator Announced
May 1, 2017 – The US Department of Health and Human Services announced that George Sigounas, MS, PhD has been appointed as the new HRSA Administrator, effective immediately. Dr. Sigounas was a professor of Internal Medicine at East Carolina University. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, and his research interests include stem cells, cancer-initiating cells, and bone marrow transplants. With Dr. Sigounas’ arrival, Jim Macrae returns to his position as Administrator of HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), and Tonya Bowers returns to her position as Deputy BPHC Administrator.
Grant Opportunities for Health Centers
New SAMHSA Grants Available
Building Communities of Recovery grants are available to help build recovery systems for people with substance use disorders. Who may apply: Communities of recovery that are domestic, private nonprofit entities in states, territories or tribes. Deadline: July 3. Learn more here.
Cooperative Agreements to Implement Zero Suicide in Health Systems aims to implement suicide prevention and intervention programs for individuals who are 25 years of age or older. Who may apply: States, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories health agencies with mental health and/or behavioral health functions; Indian tribe or tribal organizations; community-based primary care or behavioral health care organizations; emergency departments; or local public health agencies. Deadline: July 18. Learn more here.
New HRSA Grant Available
Applications for a new, three-year initiative entitled Improving HIV Health Outcomes through the Coordination of Supportive Employment and Housing Services are being accepted. HRSA will award up to 10 demonstration site grants of up to $300,000 each per year to support the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative interventions that coordinate HIV care and treatment, housing, and employment services to improve HIV health outcomes for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured people living with HIV in racial and ethnic minority communities. Deadline: July 24. Learn more here.
