Policy Priorities
At the Washington Association for Community Health (WACH), we aim to strengthen and advocate for Washington’s 28 community health centers (CHCs) as they build health care access, innovation, and value for their local communities.
Preserve the Health Care Safety Net
CHCs support preserving and expanding access to care. Access to care is the heart of the community health center mission. WACH is proud to support policies that help individuals and families retain coverage and ensure they have reliable access to affordable primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care.
340B Drug Discount Program
CHCs support a strong 340B Drug Discount Program. Since 1992, the 340B Program has critically supported CHC patients and CHC programs. The 340B program enables health centers to dispense crucial medications to patients who are uninsured or struggling with out-of-pocket costs, ensuring that no one has to forgo treatment due to inability to pay. It also helps CHCs cover the cost of a wide range of services above and beyond what you’d expect: Transportation assistance for individuals with mobility challenges, expanded hours, mobile clinics to bring care to hard-to-reach groups, behavioral health care, chronic disease management, and much more.
Value-Based Payment/Purchasing
CHCs support value-based payment reform. CHCs believe that health care should not only be accessible – it should be accountable, too. Health centers have consistently demonstrated the strength of their care model, which integrates medical, dental, and behavioral health to support the health of the whole person and prevent small health problems from becoming big ones. The result is improved outcomes and improved lives – at a cost the community can afford. The health care system should change how it pays for care to keep providers accountable for the value they deliver and reward high-performance teams for the services they provide to their patients.