Sip Mouden Inducted into Grassroots Hall of Fame for America’s Health Centers

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has inducted Sip Mouden, Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Inc. (CHCA) in North Little Rock, AR, into the NACHC Grassroots Hall of Fame. The recognition honors the dedication and energetic efforts by advocates to rally public and political support for the strength and expansion of America’s Health Centers. She was presented the Hall of Fame Award at the 35th Annual NACHC Policy and Issues Forum in Washington, D.C., an event attended by more than 2,000 health center leaders from around the country.

“Sip Mouden has been a passionate advocate on behalf of health centers and the movement would not be what it is today without her dedication, skilled leadership and tireless energy” said Tom Van Coverden, President and CEO of NACHC. “She’s been on Capitol Hill many times carrying the health center message, and rallying public support and funding in her own state. We’re deeply appreciative of Sip’s commitment, hard work and leadership in advocacy.”

Sip has served in numerous leadership roles on behalf of health centers at the national and state level, including Chairmanship of the NACHC Rural Health Committee, serving on the NACHC-Primary Care Association Steering Committee, as well as the Legislative and Policy Committees. She has also testified on behalf of health centers on Capitol Hill, and was a featured speaker at a Congressional Briefing on the value of health care homes. Sip was named the 2008 Arkansas Rural Advocate of the Year by the Arkansas Rural Development Commission. Sip has over 30 years of health and social services administrative experience, within major medical and academic institutions, state government, private for profit health care businesses, insurance, and not – for- profit organizations.

Community Health Centers serve as the health care homes to over 20 million people in more than 7,500 communities, including over 125,000 Arkansans. Community Health Centers save the health care system an estimated $9.9 billion to $17.6 billion a year – while providing more than $12 billion in economic impact nationwide. With demand for health centers growing among the medically underserved and uninsured, local, state, and national support for initiatives that support and strengthen their mission is critical – now more than ever. The network of health center grassroots advocates, working in communities across the country to spread the message, help make this key support possible.

Health Care Reform Provisions Timeline

As reported in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, here are the effective dates of major provisions of the health-care overhaul:

WITHIN A YEAR:
Would provide a $250 rebate this year to Medicare prescription-drug beneficiaries whose initial benefits run out.

90 DAYS AFTER ENACTMENT:
Would provide immediate access to high-risk pools for people with no insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

SIX MONTHS AFTER ENACTMENT:
Would bar insurers from denying people coverage when they get sick. Would bar insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Would bar insurers from imposing lifetime caps on coverage. Would require insurers to allow people to stay on their parents’ policies until they turn 26.

2011
Would require individual and small group market plans to spend 80 percent of premium dollars on medical services. Large group plans would have to spend at least 85 percent.

2013
Would increase the Medicare payroll tax and expand it to dividend, interest, investment, capital gains and other unearned income for singles earning more than $200,000 and joint filers making more than $250,000.

2014
Would provide subsidies for families earning up to 400 percent of poverty level, currently about $88,000 a year, to purchase health insurance. Would require most employers to provide coverage or face penalties. Would require most people to obtain coverage or face penalties.

2018
Would impose a 40 percent excise tax on high-end insurance policies.

2019
Would expand health insurance coverage to 32 million people.

SOURCES: Speaker of the House, Congressional Budget Office, Kaiser Family Foundation

Act Now: Health Centers Appropriations Letters

Time is Running Out - Health Centers Appropriations Letters

Take Action!

Stabenow-Bond and Pallone-Granger Dear Colleague Letters

FY 2011 Health Center Appropriations Letters Are Now Circulating
Only 13 Senators and 38 Representatives Have Co-Signed - Time is Running Out!

Have Your Members of Congress Signed On? Click Here to Check

You are receiving this alert because at least one of your Members of Congress has not yet signed the Health Centers Appropriations Letters supporting $370 million in funding for health centers in FY11.The DEADLINE TO SIGN ON IS MARCH 12!! Contact your Members of Congress TODAY to ask them to sign onto the Stabenow-Bond Health Center Appropriations Letter in the Senate or the Pallone-Granger Health Center Appropriations Letter in the House.

Call your Members of Congress toll-free TODAY by using the NACHC Advocacy Hotline at 1-866-456-3949. You can also click the link at the top right hand corner of this alert to contact your Members of Congress through the Health Center advocacy network.

To sign onto the Health Centers Appropriations Letters Senators can contact Oliver Kim with Sen. Stabenow or Julie Jolly with Sen. Bond. To sign on in the House, Representatives can contact Tiffany Guarascio with Rep. Pallone or Theresa Vawter with Rep.Granger. Both the House and Senate letter indicate support for a $370 million in increase in funding for the Health Center Program. The chances of getting this increase are directly related to the number of Cosigners on the Health Centers letters. This is our best chance to convey overwhelming support among members of Congress for increased funding for Health Centers in FY 2011. The deadline to sign onto the health centers letter is March 12!
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Background

This year's Health Centers Appropriations Dear Colleague Letters asks for an increase in funding for the Health Center Program to $2.56 billion. This increase equates to a Program increase of $370 million and could mean $100 million in funding to expand access to new communities, $250 million to stabilize existing health centers funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and $20 million to adequately fund the Federal Tort Claims Act fund. For more information and to access downloadable copies of the House and Senate Health Center Dear Colleague letters please visit the NACHC Federal Affairs web page.

Members of Arkansas Congressional Delegation Honored with National Health Care Awards

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) presented three of Arkansas’ Congressional members with awards during the 35th annual NACHC Policy and Issues Forum held in Washington, D.C., February 24-28. Senator Blanche Lincoln was presented with the “Distinguished Community Health Champion Award,” and Representatives Mike Ross and Vic Snyder were presented with the “Distinguished Community Health Superhero Award.”

The “Distinguished Community Health Champion Award” presented to Senator Lincoln is given only to select Members of Congress who have gone above and beyond in championing wider access to primary care and strengthening America’s investment in Community Health Centers. As a member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, Senator Lincoln has been a committed leader of improving access to care at our nation’s health centers, especially for America's seniors.

During the debate on health insurance reform in the Senate Finance Committee, Lincoln secured an amendment to ensure that Community Health Centers would not lose revenue when treating newly insured patients gaining coverage through the proposed Health Insurance Exchanges. Lincoln also introduced, along with Senator Snowe from Maine and others, the Menendez Amendment. This amendment provided, along with other provisions, that health centers should be paid a fair and comparable rate for serving Medicare patients as they are paid for serving Medicaid patients.

The “Distinguished Community Health Superhero Award” was presented to Representative Vic Snyder for his support in passing the bipartisan State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act, which ensures vital health insurance for over 11 million American children, as well as for his vote for the passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2009, the House of Representatives’ Health Care Reform package. The “Superhero Award” was also presented to Representative Mike Ross for his support in passing the SCHIP Reauthorization Act.

“We are thrilled that the National Association of Community Health Centers is recognizing Senator Blanche Lincoln and Representatives Mike Ross and Vic Snyder as outstanding leaders in their support of Community Health Centers and the patients they serve,” said Sip Mouden, CEO, Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Inc. “As economic conditions remain challenging for many Arkansans, indeed many Americans, Senator Lincoln and Representatives Ross and Snyder understand that Community Health Centers provide equal access to affordable primary and preventive health care services, serve as local economic engines, and provide cost savings to all states’ health care systems through efficient delivery of care. Arkansas Community Health Centers are hopeful that with their continued leadership and support that not only Arkansas health centers, but also health centers nationwide, will be able to strengthen their systems of health care delivery and will be able to grow and meet the challenges and demands of the future.”