House stimulus package is strong for rural America
On January 15th, the House Democratic leaders detailed a historic $825 billion economic stimulus package (summary, committee report, bill language), featuring $550 billion in spending and $275 billion in tax breaks. The proposal would provide a total of $124.1 billion for health care programs.
Detailed in the package were significant economic investment dollars in rural health care, rural health care IT and rural health care jobs. The NRHA strongly supports the legislation's recognition that the current economic recession is devastating on much of rural America, and that any economic recovery proposal must include a robust recovery plan for rural America.
Important Economic Recovery Plans for Health Care Include:
- $87 billion to help states with Medicaid costs by increasing the Federal Medicaid match rate (known as the FMAP) through FY 2010
- $6 billion in broadband and wireless services in rural and underserved areas
- $20 billion for health information technology
- $4.1 billion to provide preventative care
- $550 million to modernize and upgrade aging Indian Health Service facilities
- $600 million to train additional primary health care providers through the National Health Service Corps and the Title VII and VIII programs
- $950 million for veterans' medical facilities
- $1.5 billion for Community Health Centers, including $500 million to increase the number of uninsured Americans who receive health care
- $200 million to support grants and loans to rural community facilities, including health care
- $8.6 billion to provide 100 percent Federal funding through 2010 for Medicaid coverage of individuals who are involuntarily unemployed
The Senate has not announced details of a recovery bill yet. Debate will likely be heated on both sides of the Capitol, but Democratic Leadership hopes to get a bill to President-elect Obama in February. The NRHA will keep membership appraised with the Congress and the incoming Administration to improve the health of the 62 million who call rural home.
