In response to budget negotiations occurring at the federal level, Centro de Salud Esperanza stated its opposition to any significant cuts to Medicaid reimbursements for community health centers. Significant cuts to Medicaid funding are being considered as Congressional leaders try to reach an agreement on raising the national debt limit and reducing the federal deficit. Centro de Salud Esperanza’s CEO, Dan Fulwiler asserts that any major cuts to Medicaid reimbursements would seriously harm underinsured patients:

“Significant cuts to Medicaid would seriously compromise our ability to serve the over 8,500 children, women, and men who come to us for healthcare and preventive services every year. While we recognize the need for deficit reduction, cutting Medicaid reimbursement to community health centers would be disastrous for the state of Illinois, affecting over 2.9 million people.”

Esperanza prides itself on providing healthcare which is both high-quality and cost-effective. According to Medicaid data, Esperanza currently ranks among the top 10 percent of community health centers in Illinois for providing blood lead testing, appropriate asthma medications, vision screening, breast cancer screening, and cervical cancer screening. Esperanza’s cost-per-patient-visit is only $121, significantly lower than similar health centers in the city of Chicago. This balance of quality and cost-effectiveness would not be possible without full Medicaid funding. Esperanza’s health services include pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine, midwifery, and obstetrics and gynecology. For more information, visit Esperanza at www.esperanzachicago.org.