Reps. Mike Thompson, Cathy McMorris Rodgers Call On House Leadership to Extend Health Benefits to Rural Communities

Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5) today lead a bi-partisan group of 19 members of Congress in sending a letter to the House leadership calling on them to extend Medicare health benefits to rural communities. The benefits include assistance for rural facilities and health providers to recruit and retain skilled practitioners, provide quality outpatient care and mental health services and respond to emergency health events.

“Every person deserves access to high quality health care regardless of if they live in a big city, small town, or rural community,” said Thompson. “Congress must act to extend these benefits, like it has done many times before, to help ensure that the people living in rural areas can continue to receive the same level of health care services.”

“Access to quality health care is a rapidly-growing challenge in Eastern Washington's rural communities,” said McMorris Rodgers. “To deal with that challenge, Congress has on previous occasions wisely enacted a number of programs to help rural health facilities and those they serve. It's critical that those programs be protected to ensure the health and well-being of the 1 in 4 Americans who live in our country's rural communities.”

Approximately one fourth of all Americans live in rural areas that rely on local community hospitals, clinics and independent practices for their health care. Many of these facilities face significant challenges that these benefits help them overcome such as remote geographic location, small size, workforce scarcity, physician shortages, and constrained financial resources.

In addition to the health benefits provided by these facilities, they also provide jobs to hard hit rural communities. The average Critical Access Hospital directly employs more than 100 people and provides more than $4 million in direct salary, wages and benefits. An independent physician in a rural area supports more than 20 jobs and provides $1 million in economic benefit to their communities.

“These Medicare “extenders” are vital to ensuring rural health care facilities remain open. We commend Representatives McMorris Rodgers and Thompson for recognizing these challenges and working to extend these vital programs,” said Maggie Elehwany, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Rural Health Association.

“The Medicare “extender” provisions are vital to ensuring that rural hospitals, doctors and other health care professionals can provide needed emergency and primary care,” stressed Gail Nickerson, President California State Rural Health Association. “The expiration of Medicare extenders will inhibit the ability of hospitals and providers to recruit and retain professionals, negatively impact patient access, and will have a devastating impact on the economies of our rural communities, because health care is a major employer and business in most rural areas.”


Below is the full text of the letter.


The Honorable John A. Boehner
Speaker of the House
H-232, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Eric Cantor
House Majority Leader
H-329, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
House Minority Leader
H-204, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Steny Hoyer
House Minority Whip
H-148, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Leader Cantor, and Whip Hoyer,

Approximately one fourth of all Americans live in rural areas across our country-areas that take up around ninety percent of the country's total land mass. These areas rely on local community hospitals, clinics and independent practices as vital access points to critical health care. These facilities also provide critical jobs in hard hit rural areas. In fact, the average Critical Access Hospital (CAH) directly employs over 100 people and provides over $4 million in direct salary, wages and benefits. An independent physician in a rural area supports over 20 jobs and provides $1 million in economic benefit to their communities.

Despite their intrinsic and vital nature to the rural delivery system and rural economy, many of these facilities face significant challenges- remote geographic location, small size, workforce scarcity, physician shortages, constrained financial resources among others. Because of these challenges, Congress has enacted a number of programs that help these facilities and other rural providers recruit and retain skilled practitioners, provide quality outpatient care and respond to emergency health events. These programs, which were extended in PL 111-309, have long received bipartisan support.

Across the country, these programs have helped sustain fragile health care delivery systems and ensure that these facilities remain open. Because of the vital nature of these facilities and the fragile nature of the delivery system in rural areas, we urge you to extend these vital provisions as part of any current legislation.

Sincerely,


____________________
Dennis Cardoza
Member of Congress