Testimony of George Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Bread for the City

Council of the District of Columbia

Budget Oversight Hearing for Department of Health Care Finance

June 5, 2025

Good morning, Councilmember Henderson. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is George Jones, and I’m the CEO of Bread for the City.

For decades, DC’s community health centers—like ours—have been the frontline providers for our neighbors who are uninsured, underinsured, or simply left behind by a complicated and inequitable system. A 2023 study of half-a-million Medicare beneficiaries found the group with regular primary care visits and high continuity of care had $3,400 more in savings per person, 40% less frequent emergency visits, and 53% less frequent hospitalizations compared to the group receiving irregular and noncontinuous care. These long-term impacts represent the size and scope of our effect on our current patients, and the potential of our future impact. But we cannot continue our relentless focus on providing high-quality, regular, and continuous care to the people most vulnerable to illness without stable and secure funding. We are DHCF’s best partner to decipher a path forward. 

In 2024, 67% of patients served by DC FQHCs lived below 200% of the federal poverty level. More than half were on Medicaid, and over 16% had no insurance at all. Nearly 40% were best served in a language other than English. These are not statistics—they’re our clients, our neighbors, our community.

Medicaid doesn’t just cover doctor visits. It includes critical services like dental and vision care, transportation, hospice and home-based care, dialysis, and more. These services matter. They save lives. And without them, our patients—especially those with chronic illnesses or disabilities—will fall through the cracks.

If the Basic Health Program moves forward, we urge the Council to ensure it includes the same robust benefits as Medicaid—including services like dental and vision, retroactive eligibility, continuous enrollment, and zero premiums or cost-sharing. If that takes additional District investment, we believe it’s a price worth paying to protect our community’s health.

We also ask the Council to move slowly and thoughtfully. Rushing this transition risks leaving people uninsured, delaying care, and putting additional strain on already overburdened providers.

On top of this, the proposed elimination of the DC Healthcare Alliance for immigrants over 20 is alarming. Over 16,000 people could lose access to care. Health centers cannot absorb that cost. And more importantly, no one should have to go without health care simply because of their age or immigration status.

This is a public health imperative. If these proposals move forward as planned, we will see more people uninsured, more preventable illnesses untreated, more emergency rooms overwhelmed—and more lives at risk.  And without reimbursements from Medicaid and Alliance, Bread for the City’s medical clinic simply could not afford to continue providing high-quality, comprehensive, primary care for the thousands of patients who rely on us each year.

We all want a DC that’s thriving, healthy, and equitable. But that vision only becomes reality when we invest in the infrastructure that holds it up—our community health centers.

Let’s live our DC values. Let’s ensure every resident can access the care they need to live with dignity and health.