Dr. Chris Gordon meets with a patient at the Chase Avenue Family Health Center in El Cajon in 2013. | Photo Credit: Brian Myers, Media Arts Center San Diego
By Megan Burks
San Diego community clinic executives have been meeting with lawmakers in the nation’s capitol. They’re asking Congress to back away from a funding cliff that would impact care for low-income San Diegans.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2Thursday to bring a key funding source for community clinics back from the brink.
The $11 billion Community Health Clinic Trust Fund, which began under former President George W. Bush and continued under President Barack Obama, was set to expire at the end of September.
San Diego Council of Community Clinics Policy Director Gary Rotto said if it did expire, local clinics would have to cut 1 million staff hours next year.
“That would have tremendous effects and would affect about 250,000 patients in just one year in their ability to get in and receive an appointment for a timely primary care appointment,” Rotto said.
Community clinics serve mostly low-income patients. Rotto said many of them gained insurance under the Affordable Care Act, but funding gaps at clinics remain.
“Even more so (patients are) looking to us because our community clinics and health centers are in the communities where folks who are on Medi-Cal live,” Rotto said. “Not always does Medi-Cal reimbursement rate really cover the cost.”
San Diego County Reps. Susan Davis (D), Duncan Hunter (R), Scott Peters (D) and Juan Vargas (D) voted in favor of the measure to extend funding. Rep. Darrell Issa (R) voted against the bill. He could not be reached for comment.
The trust fund extension is part of a larger bill that’s expected to add $141 billion to the nation’s budget deficit over ten years. It would hold steady Medicare payments to doctors. Congress has enacted 17 stopgap measures since 2002 to keep payments from dipping so low doctors leave the Medicare system.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill next month.