REPS. MIKE THOMPSON, CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS CALL ON PAYROLL TAX CONFEREES TO EXTEND HEALTH BENEFITS TO RURAL COMMUNITIES
February 13, 2012
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-5) recently lead a bi-partisan group of Representatives in sending a letter to the House and Senate group negotiating an extension of the payroll tax credit, calling on them to extend Medicare provisions that benefit rural communities. The provisions help ensure quality health care in rural communities and support local jobs.
“High quality health care in rural America cannot fall victim to partisan games,” said Thompson. “Folks on both sides of the aisle agree - regardless of if you live in a big city, small town, or rural community, everyone deserves access to affordable, quality care. Congress has extended these benefits many times before and we must do it again so that rural families continue receiving the same level of health care services.”
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 challenges that these important provisions help them overcome such as remote geographic location, workforce scarcity, physician shortages and constrained financial resources.
Extending Medicare health benefits help rural facilities and health providers recruit and retain skilled practitioners, provide quality outpatient care and mental health services, and respond to emergency health events.
In addition to the health benefits provided by rural health care facilities, they also provide jobs to 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.
“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.
February 7, 2012
The Honorable Dave Camp The Honorable Max Baucus
Chairman Chairman
Committee on Ways and Means Committee on Finance
U.S. House Representatives U.S. Senate
1102 Longworth House Office Building 219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC20510
Dear Chairman Camp and Chairman Baucus,
Rural Americans depend on local community hospitals, clinics and independent practices as vital access points to critical primary, emergency and mental health care. These facilities also provide a significant number of jobs in hard hit rural areas. In fact, a single community hospital can mean as much as 20% of total economic activity in small rural communities.
Health Care providers in rural America, though, face significant barriers- remote geographic location, small size, workforce scarcity, physician shortages, unpredictable case and payer mixes, and constrained financial resources. 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 P.L. 111-309 and P.L. 112-78, have long received bipartisan support. Other hospital provisions, which expire at the end September, accomplish many of these same goals and their extension is similarly vital.
Across the country, these programs have helped sustain fragile health care delivery systems and ensure that these facilities remain open and that access for rural Americans remains as strong as possible. 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 the conference agreement.
Sincerely,
____________________ ____________________
Cathy McMorris Rodgers Mike Thompson
Member of Congress Member of Congress
cc:
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin
U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed
U.S. Senator Jon Kyl
U.S. Senator John Barrasso
U.S. Senator Mike Crapo
U.S. Representative Fred Upton
U.S. Representative Tom Price
U.S. Representative Nan Hayworth
U.S. Representative Tom Reed
U.S. Representative Kevin Brady
U.S. Representative Greg Walden
U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers
U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra
U.S. Representative Sander Levin
U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen
U.S. Representative Allyson Schwartz
U.S. Representative Henry Waxman
David McKinley
Member of Congress
Nick Rahall
Member of Congress
Bill Owens
Member of Congress
Jo Ann Emerson
Member of Congress
Shelley Moore Capito
Member of Congress
Ruben Hinojosa
Member of Congress
Adam Kinzinger
Member of Congress
Bobby Schilling
Member of Congress
Alcee L. Hastings
Member of Congress
Thomas Petri
Member of Congress
Mike Ross
Member of Congress
John Carter
Member of Congress
Tom Latham
Member of Congress
Bruce L. Braley
Member of Congress
Chris Gibson
Member of Congress
Ron Kind
Member of Congress
Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress
Peter DeFazio
Member of Congress
Maurice Hinchey
Member of Congress
Donald Manzullo
Member of Congress
Peter Welch
Member of Congress
Ed Perlmutter
Member of Congress
K. Michael Conaway
Member of Congress
Robert J. Wittman
Member of Congress
John Garamendi
Member of Congress
Reid Ribble
Member of Congress
Tammy Baldwin
Member of Congress
Sean Duffy
Member of Congress
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 1st Congressional District, which includes the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and Yolo. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and sits on the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
“High quality health care in rural America cannot fall victim to partisan games,” said Thompson. “Folks on both sides of the aisle agree - regardless of if you live in a big city, small town, or rural community, everyone deserves access to affordable, quality care. Congress has extended these benefits many times before and we must do it again so that rural families continue receiving the same level of health care services.”
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 challenges that these important provisions help them overcome such as remote geographic location, workforce scarcity, physician shortages and constrained financial resources.
Extending Medicare health benefits help rural facilities and health providers recruit and retain skilled practitioners, provide quality outpatient care and mental health services, and respond to emergency health events.
In addition to the health benefits provided by rural health care facilities, they also provide jobs to 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.
“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.
February 7, 2012
The Honorable Dave Camp The Honorable Max Baucus
Chairman Chairman
Committee on Ways and Means Committee on Finance
U.S. House Representatives U.S. Senate
1102 Longworth House Office Building 219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC20510
Dear Chairman Camp and Chairman Baucus,
Rural Americans depend on local community hospitals, clinics and independent practices as vital access points to critical primary, emergency and mental health care. These facilities also provide a significant number of jobs in hard hit rural areas. In fact, a single community hospital can mean as much as 20% of total economic activity in small rural communities.
Health Care providers in rural America, though, face significant barriers- remote geographic location, small size, workforce scarcity, physician shortages, unpredictable case and payer mixes, and constrained financial resources. 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 P.L. 111-309 and P.L. 112-78, have long received bipartisan support. Other hospital provisions, which expire at the end September, accomplish many of these same goals and their extension is similarly vital.
Across the country, these programs have helped sustain fragile health care delivery systems and ensure that these facilities remain open and that access for rural Americans remains as strong as possible. 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 the conference agreement.
Sincerely,
____________________ ____________________
Cathy McMorris Rodgers Mike Thompson
Member of Congress Member of Congress
cc:
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin
U.S. Senator Bob Casey Jr.
U.S. Senator Jack Reed
U.S. Senator Jon Kyl
U.S. Senator John Barrasso
U.S. Senator Mike Crapo
U.S. Representative Fred Upton
U.S. Representative Tom Price
U.S. Representative Nan Hayworth
U.S. Representative Tom Reed
U.S. Representative Kevin Brady
U.S. Representative Greg Walden
U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers
U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra
U.S. Representative Sander Levin
U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen
U.S. Representative Allyson Schwartz
U.S. Representative Henry Waxman
David McKinley
Member of Congress
Nick Rahall
Member of Congress
Bill Owens
Member of Congress
Jo Ann Emerson
Member of Congress
Shelley Moore Capito
Member of Congress
Ruben Hinojosa
Member of Congress
Adam Kinzinger
Member of Congress
Bobby Schilling
Member of Congress
Alcee L. Hastings
Member of Congress
Thomas Petri
Member of Congress
Mike Ross
Member of Congress
John Carter
Member of Congress
Tom Latham
Member of Congress
Bruce L. Braley
Member of Congress
Chris Gibson
Member of Congress
Ron Kind
Member of Congress
Earl Blumenauer
Member of Congress
Peter DeFazio
Member of Congress
Maurice Hinchey
Member of Congress
Donald Manzullo
Member of Congress
Peter Welch
Member of Congress
Ed Perlmutter
Member of Congress
K. Michael Conaway
Member of Congress
Robert J. Wittman
Member of Congress
John Garamendi
Member of Congress
Reid Ribble
Member of Congress
Tammy Baldwin
Member of Congress
Sean Duffy
Member of Congress
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 1st Congressional District, which includes the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, and Yolo. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and sits on the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
# # #
Issues:Health Care