On August 31, 2011, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) highlighted the critical role of federally-funded community health centers in providing an affordable, quality healthcare option for Delawareans regardless of their ability to pay. Sen. Carper visited La Red Health Center in Georgetown, Del. and met with patients and staff at the community health care center, which has been the recipient of federal funding.

The visit came as temporary enhancements to the federally-funded health insurance assistance program known as COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) are set to expire today. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed into law in February 2009, the federal government helped workers who lost their jobs in the Great Recession maintain their health insurance by covering 65 percent of the monthly premiums. Although these temporary enhancements are expiring today, unemployed Delawareans without access to health insurance can still obtain high quality care regardless of their ability to pay at community health centers funded in part by the federal government. As part of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March 2010, the federal government greatly increased federal aid to community health care centers in Delaware and across the country.

"Community health care centers provide Delawareans with exceptional healthcare services at a price they can afford," said Sen. Carper. "As unemployed Delawareans without access to health insurance look for affordable health care options, community health centers offer a critical safety net Delawareans can rely on in a time of need. Through the Affordable Care Act, Delaware's federally-funded health centers, like Westside, La Red, and Henrietta Johnson, can expand their efforts to provide quality health care delivery to those Delawareans who otherwise would not have it." The expansion of community health centers is one of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Delawareans and all Americans in need can rely on community health centers for healthcare when uninsured.