According to a recent Gallup poll, the number of U.S. adults unable to afford or access quality health care has risen by 3 percentage points since 2021, reaching a record high of 11%, or about 29 million people. The steepest increases were seen among low-income and minority groups: Hispanic adults rose 8 points to 18%, Black adults rose 5 points to 14%, and those earning under $24,000 annually rose 11 points to 25%. Over the same period, the share of adults considered “cost secure” dropped significantly, especially among Hispanic adults (down 17 points to 34%) and Black adults (down 13 points to 41%). These shifts underscore the widening gap in health care access and affordability since 2021 – and the important role of CHCs.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services publishes data on Medicaid and SNAP enrollees by county and congressional district. As of February 2025, PA had 3,009,860 individuals accessing Medicaid which is 23.17% of the population. In 2015, Pennsylvania implemented Medicaid Expansion, part of the Affordable Care Act that allows low-income people to obtain health care coverage. The SNAP data includes an interactive map by county and age group. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Center found that for every $1 issued in federal SNAP benefits, it helps grow our economy by $1.54 Click here to access the PA Department of Human Services Dashboard.

More than three dozen healthcare associations and organizations wrote a letter calling on House and Senate leaders for action on a bill bolstering foreign-born physician recruitment to underserved areas. The letters speak to the Conrad 30 Waiver program and support a pair of bills introduced last month that would increase the number of waivers allotted per state, among other “common sense changes.” Read more.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a final recommendation statement on primary care behavioral counseling interventions to support breastfeeding in JAMA. Clinicians can help improve the health of babies by providing interventions that support breastfeeding. Visit the April 8 online issue of JAMA to view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians.

On April 7, 2025, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) shared an update with the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) and HAB Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) recipients, subrecipients, stakeholders, national partners, and federal colleagues.

On March 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Workforce Optimization Initiative.” Reductions in Force (RIFs) started last Friday March 28. Here is some information that has been gleaned from media reports and interactions with current and former HHS staff:

·       Total RIFs at large agencies: HHS did announce that it planned to reduce:

o  2,400 full-time jobs at the CDC,

o  3,500 jobs at the FDA,

o  1,200 at the NIH, and

o  300 at the CMS. This included the entire staff of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.

No details were announced about what functions would be impacted by these RIFs. Also, these figures suggest that roughly 2,600 FTEs were let go at smaller agencies such as HRSA, SAMHSA, and AHRQ.

·       Reports suggest that up to one third of HRSA staff were let go. According to Politico, as many as 500 to 600 people from HRSA were let go. Trade publication Government Executive also reported that about a third of HRSA staff got RIF notices. In 2024, HRSA reported having 2,749 FTEs.

·       Two offices within BPHC were eliminated entirely. All staff from the following BPHC offices were let go:

o      The Office of Strategic Business Operations (OSBO), which supports BPHC operations around internal/external communications, including the BPHC Contact Form, the HRSA GeoCareNavigator, IT, strategic planning, professional development, EHB, BPHC website, etc.

o      The Office of Health Center Investment Oversight (OHCIO), which oversees all “supplemental” CHC funding.

·       Five HHS Regional Offices were eliminated in their entirety. All staff at the Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle offices received RIF notices this week. While the regional offices in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, and Denver will remain open, it is not yet clear what states they will each work with.

We will continue to update members about the changes at HHS, HRSA, and BPHC as we become aware of them. If you have questions or learn information, contact Eric Kiehl, PACHC Director of Policy and Partnership.

Congress paved the way for deep cuts in healthcare spending as part of an effort to extend expiring tax cuts on Thursday. The House voted 216-214 to adopt the final version of the fiscal 2026 budget resolution, with GOP Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (Ind.) joining the Democratic minority in opposition. This followed a Senate vote to approve the budget on Monday and a House vote in February on the lower chamber’s first draft of the measure.

In an op-ed, state Rep. Tarik Khan explains how Democrats in Harrisburg are working to protect access to health care. Rep. Khan is a nurse practitioner with a Ph.D. in nursing research from the University of Pennsylvania and works for Family Practice and Counseling Network, a CHC in Philadelphia.

Congressman Brendan Boyle (PA-02) held a press conference this week to sound the alarm about the catastrophic consequences that the proposed Medicaid cuts would have in Philadelphia. He was joined by Susan Post, Chief Executive Officer of Esperanza Health Center, and Suzanne O’Grady Laurito, Director of Catholic Housing and Community Services at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. “In the geographical area that Esperanza takes care of, which is about a three-mile radius from here, we have a population that’s almost 400,000 people. And of those 400,000, almost 200,000 of them rely on Medicaid insurance for all of their health care needs,” said Susan Post, Chief Executive Officer of Esperanza Health Center. Learn more.