The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has advanced a significant primary care bill that now looks likely to head to a full Senate vote, according to a Sept. 21 Common Dreams report.
Under the chairmanship of Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, the HELP committee voted 14-7 to advance the bill, which calls for an increase in funding for community health centers to $5.8 billion annually for three years as well as more funding for dental services at such facilities and improved mental healthcare.
Such community health centers currently serve approximately 31.5 million people and the bill, titled the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act, is expected to help increase that number, the report said. The bill is priced at $26 billion according to multiple reports.