The shutdown could affect the safety-net clinics

The Secretary of State of the Small Business Administration explains why there is no $fe$ left in the United States and why the federal government is running out of funding

Still — many services will still be available. The Food and Drug Administration will continue “All vital FDA activities related to imminent threats to the safety of human life,” Social Security checks will still be issued, Veterans Affairs facilities will remain open. If employees call in sick to work as they did during the last shutdown, air traffic and airport personnel will still be on the job.

The rest are paid outside appropriations and wouldn’t be affected. The White House says all this would be disruptive to national security. The pay day is Friday, September 29th, and the servicemembers are paid twice a month.

Military Commissaries in the U.S. and abroad – which are basically neighborhood grocery stores – will stay open for approximately 60 days into the new fiscal year without appropriations, according to the Defense Department. They warn that only overseas and remote locations will remain open after the funds run out.

Larry Cosme, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said a lack of funding also means that there are no resources for federal agencies to continue participating in federal-state-local task forces. He said this includes those working on human trafficking investigations, to disrupt terrorist operations, and crack down on drug violations.

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is likely to run out of funding to support normal WIC operations just a few days into a shutdown, according to USDA. The impact on the program will likely be staggered because of the different amount of time it takes for states to use their own funds to keep the program going.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has enough money to pay the Medicaid and CHIP programs for at least three months. That’s good news for around 90 million low-income people who rely on those health insurance programs

People who get health service from the federal government, whether that be through Medicare or the Indian Health Service, should not experience a interruption in their care. They would still still go to the doctor and still make appointments.

A Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act that Keeps National Parks and Public Lands Open During a Public Works Shutdown: What Happens if Congress is Shut Down?

Last week, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland asking the department to use the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to keep national parks and public lands open during a shut down. Funds from the law were used in 2018 to keep most parks open.

Visitor centers, campgrounds, research facilities, and museums could be closed for the duration of a shutdown. This would affect events and attractions scheduled for these sites Depending on how long the shutdown persists, this could create interruptions during the Indigenous People’s/Columbus Day three-day weekend for many.

Head Start, which supports education for 3- and 4-year-olds across the country, and Meals on Wheels, which brings food to elderly people, could also get interrupted.

If there is a government shutdown, households that receive food stamps will still get their nutrition assistance in October. It is unknown how November benefits may be impacted should a shutdown persist.

“I think it gets to be really confusing for the public when they learn about a federal government shut down and wonder what that actually means for their programs and services,” he said. “There’s a risk, and we’ve experienced this before during shutdowns, where families just sort of assumed that they can’t use their benefits or that they shouldn’t go to their appointment because services may be closed.”

When the money runs out does another institution still exist? Congress. They’ll keep working without pay, including many of the staffers that keep the Capitol running.

The federal government hasn’t had a problem like this in 18 months, since the government was shut down for 35 days. As in shutdowns past, people across the country will see a pause in federal services, programming and pay.

Visitors and residents in Washington, D.C. could feel the impact quickly. Until money runs out, the facilities will remain open. There will be a farewell to the giant panda in the National Zoo before they close. The National Park Service’s “Fat Bear Week” was interrupted outside of D.C.

Federal Shutdown Can Disrupt Patient Care at Safety-Net Clinics across the U.S., Revealing Lenee Hayward

At the North Side Christian Health Center, Lenee Hayward contemplates the possibility that her medical home could suffer setbacks from the looming budget impasse. She remembers how she had to take two buses to see the doctor when she first brought her family here.

Recent changes to the Medicaid program have only added to the financial tumult: For the first time in the history of Medicaid, low-income beneficiaries will have to submit paperwork to prove eligibility in order to re-enroll.

Clinics that serve Medicaid patients are finding that a lot of their patients are losing coverage temporarily or permanently, because of the enormous bureaucratic task being handled at the state level. Until their eligibility is restored, or they obtain different insurance, the clinics must treat them for free.

Several groups of patients will need more help, according to Bradley Corallo, a Medicaid analyst with the KFF think tank. Those include patients in rural communities, those with limited-English proficiency and people who struggle with housing instability.

These federally-qualified health centers, or FQHCs, are often located in low-income or rural communities. They serve everyone regardless of their ability to pay, because they deliver care on a sliding-fee scale. For millions of Americans, these clinics are the only way they can access primary care.

Source: Federal shutdown could disrupt patient care at safety-net clinics across U.S.

Patient Care at Safety-Net Clinics across the U.S. During the 2018-2019 Federal Government Shutdown, Centerville Clinics in Southwestern Pennsylvania may Be Disrupted

“We will just have to absorb those people, those costs on the thin air that we live on. And somehow, we will make it happen, because we always have,” says Kalson. I worry that we’re going to have to scale back what we do.

This type of care coordination is a common occurrence. Many patients’ health conditions are complicated by housing instability or poverty, so in addition to medical care, clinics often provide food assistance or transportation to get people to and from appointments.

FQHCs get funding from several sources, though their second-largest revenue stream are federal grants, which are now in jeopardy. The federal and state governments funds Medicaid, a public insurance program with the highest source of support.

The longest federal government shutdown in recent U.S. history ended in January 2019, and lasted 34 full days. If another shutdown occurs, the grant funding will be restored eventually.

During previous funding crises, safety-net clinics have had to make difficult decisions, and Melinda K. Abrams is the executive vice president for the Commonwealth Fund.

To navigate the uncertainty, FQHCs might have to institute hiring freezes, delay signing leases or vendor contracts, reduce hours of operation or lay off staff, Abrams says.

Even before the current threat of a government shutdown, FQHCs have been struggling. High inflation means they’re paying more for medical supplies, and they’ve had trouble retaining staff in a competitive labor market.

In southwestern Pennsylvania, Centerville Clinics serves some 40,000 patients in rural areas.

Executive director Barry Niccolai says that until Congress fixes the budget, they’ll have to watch discretionary spending, including employee salaries and benefits.

Source: Federal shutdown could disrupt patient care at safety-net clinics across U.S.

Northview Heights: A Mental Health Clinic Located Down the Hall from a Patient Living in an RV in a Ward with High-Risk Diseases

Hawthorne spent all afternoon researching food assistance and mental health treatment for the patient, who has high-risk medical diagnoses, and that is the kind of patient we see a lot of here.

Down the hall from Malzi, case manager Leslie Hawthorne is researching emergency services for a patient who has recently become homeless and is living in a broken RV.

Malzi says that he does have some wheezing, so he should get a follow-up appointment to make sure his breathing doesn’t get worse.

Lenee thinks that her preschool-age son has asthma like some of his siblings. Dr. Dallas Malzi is listening to the boy’s lungs.

The clinic sits on the ground floor of a mid-rise apartment building that provides subsidized housing. The office closes at 5:00 pm, so late afternoons are busy as parents rush children to doctor’s appointments.

Northview Heights does not have a grocery store, a post office, or a library, but it does have a health clinic that is accessible.

This would be a blow to North Side Christian’s patients, including those who receive care at a satellite clinic located in Northview Heights, a majority-Black neighborhood.