One of my top priorities in the U.S. Senate has been to expand access to affordable health care for all Americans. There are more than 42 million Americans who are uninsured — including more than 150,000 in Maine — and another 48 million in the United States lack access to a regular source of health care. Rural states like Maine face additional challenges in the delivery of health care services. In Maine, access is not just a matter of insurance coverage. In the state's rural areas, it is also a question of whether health care services are even available. Shortages of physicians, nurses, dentists, and other health care professionals often make it difficult to ensure that our rural residents have access to the services that they need. President George W. Bush recently signed the Health Care Safety Act Amendments into law. I am a strong supporter of this legislation which reauthorizes and strengthens two programs that are critical to ensuring access to health care for people living in the rural areas of Maine — the Consolidated Health Centers Program and the National Health Service Corps. The Health Care Safety Net Act Amendments will double funding for the Consolidated Health Centers program, which includes community, migrant, public housing and homeless health centers. These centers, which operate in underserved rural and urban communities, provide critical primary care services to over 12 million children and adults nationwide, regardless of their ability to pay. Maine currently has about 30 of these centers, operating in communities like Bethel, Leeds, Eastport, Harrington, Bucksport, Lubec, and Rangeley. These centers are not only rooted in Maine communities, but they are also governed by these same communities to ensure responsiveness and local accountability. As many as one out of every fifteen Mainers receive their primary health care at one of these centers. Moreover, about 20 percent of these patients have no insurance coverage and many more have inadequate coverage, so these centers are a critical part of Maine's health care safety net. The legislation also strengthens the National Health Services Corps (NHSC) which plays a vital role in providing health care services in underserved rural and urban areas. Since 1972, NHSC has placed over 22,000 health care providers in health professional shortage areas through its scholarship and loan repayment programs. Even though the program currently serves over 4,000 shortage areas, the NHSC currently serves only 12 percent of the unmet need for health care services. The Health Care safety Act Amendments provides increased funding for this important program. I am particularly pleased that the final version of the Health Care Safety Net Act Amendments includes the bipartisan Dental Health Improvement Act, which I introduced with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) to strengthen the dental workforce in our nation's rural and underserved communities. Maine, like many states, is currently facing a serious shortage of dentists, particularly in rural areas. While there is one dentist for every 2,300 people in the Portland area, the number drops dramatically in western and northern Maine. In Aroostook county, for example, there is only one dentist for every 5,500 people. This ratio, in effect, prevents many people from obtaining the consistent dental health care they need. Maine is exploring a number of innovative ideas for increasing access to dental care in underserved areas. In an effort to supplement and encourage these efforts, my Dental Health Improvement Act will establish a new state grant program designed to improve access to oral health services in rural and underserved areas. The legislation authorizes $50 million over five years for grants to help states develop innovative dental workforce programs specific to their individual needs. Another provision of the bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and implement a plan for increasing the participation of dentists and dental hygienists in the National Health Service Corps' scholarship and loan repayment program. It also improves the process for designating dental health professional shortage areas and ensures that the criteria for making such designations provides a more accurate reflection of oral health needs, particularly in rural areas. As we work toward the goal of universal access to care and the elimination of health disparities, Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps play a tremendously important role. They are critical components of our nation's health care safety net and I will always support these important programs.