Washington, DC – This week marks the two-year anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, landmark legislation to reform our health care system in ways that lower costs and expand access to insurance coverage. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) spoke on the floor of the Senate yesterday to commemorate the anniversary, and shared the story of a Newport health care organization that has been helped by the law.
Whitehouse spoke about East Bay Community Action Program, which has received support from the Affordable Care Act.
“In Rhode Island, like elsewhere in the country, community health centers fill a critical gap in our health care system, delivering comprehensive preventive and primary care to patients regardless of their ability to pay,” Whitehouse said in his speech. “East Bay has received $3 million through this law to construct a new community health center in Newport… The new community health center will triple the available patient care space for Newport County residents.”
To date, community health centers around Rhode Island have received $14.8 million from the Affordable Care Act to create new health center sites and expand health center services in medically underserved areas.
Video of the Senator’s speech is available here.
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