NCCHCA is the state’s primary care association representing N.C.’s 43 Community Health Center (CHC) organizations that care for over 743,000 patients annually, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status. Also called Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), our CHCs operate over 400 clinical sites in rural and underserved communities in 85 counties.
NCCHCA’s 2023 State Policy Agenda outlines the top policy priorities for consideration by lawmakers and decision-makers in 2023.
Click on a priority to view more details. View and download a PDF of our 2023 State Policy Agenda.
Expand Medicaid to close the health insurance coverage gap for hundreds of thousands of working poor North Carolinians, reducing uncompensated care and thereby strengthening FQHCs’ services, workforce, and financial operations.
Our recent analysis found that expanding Medicaid in North Carolina will enable FQHCs to add new services, grow the health care workforce, and reach more patients by increasing annual net revenues by 32% on average.
Enact appropriations to the Medicaid program to support a modernized FQHC payment model that enables FQHCs to fully participate in value-based arrangements under Medicaid managed care, maintains access for patients, and promotes financial stability and predictable reimbursement.
Read more:
➡ Fact Sheet: Modernize Medicaid Reimbursement for Community Health Centers
➡ DHHS Report: Proposed Comprehensive Reimbursement Structure for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics (March 8, 2023)
Secure funding to expand NCCHCA’s Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Initiative (MAAI) to recruit, train, and hire 50 new Medical Assistant apprentices to earn-while-they-learn in health center settings.
Read more:
➡ About NCCHCA’s Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Initiative
➡ Fact Sheet: Support Expansion of the Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Initiative
Continue appropriations for the state's Community Health Grant program to expand access to primary care for underserved patients at FQHCs, free clinics, local health departments, and other safety net providers.
Grants under this program have been used as seed capital to support start-up costs of opening new locations and expanding new services, such as school-based behavioral health and mobile dental services, in rural and underserved communities. Even after North Carolina takes the critically important step of expanding Medicaid, Community Health Grant funding can support vital services for the remaining uninsured patients in our state.
Minimize administrative burdens and facilitate timely reimbursement for FQHCs when caring for patients enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans.
Facilitate recruitment of high-quality primary care and specialty providers to serve FQHC patients in shortage areas through various policies, such as funding for provider incentive programs.
Reduce regulatory barriers to FQHCs seeking to offer or expand specialty services to address unmet health care needs in rural and underserved communities.
Monitor the implementation of new state protections for FQHCs’ 340B pharmacy services, which enable access to affordable medications and other critical health center services.
Questions? Contact Brendan Riley, VP of Government Relations & External Affairs at RileyB@NCCHCA.org