Senate approves nearly $13 billion rural health bill
The NRHA applauds the passage of S. 901, the Health Care Safety Net Act which provides $12.9 billion dollars for rural and medically underserved areas. On July 22, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed S. 901; the House of Representatives earlier passed a similar bill.
The act reauthorizes and strengthens three programs which together provide a safety net will help millions of rural Americans each year access needed health care services. The act amends the Public Health Service Act to provide additional funding for community health centers, the National Health Service Corps and Title III Rural Health Programs.
Community Health Centers are a cornerstone for patient-directed care for populations with limited access to primary health care services. S. 901 would authorize a $191 million increase in community center funding over current appropriations for 2008, and $11.9 billion over 2009-2012. This critical additional new funding will allow health centers in more than 750 communities nationwide to provide care to about four million new patients.
"Rural patients across the nation, who may have been forced to go without care, will benefit greatly from the additional funding, "said NRHA CEO Alan Morgan.
The National Health Service Corps, which assists in the delivery of health services in health professional shortage areas by providing access to scholarships and loan repayments to eligible clinicians, is critical to addressing the provider shortage crisis in rural America. Nationwide, there is a shortage of primary care providers, and this problem is exacerbated in rural areas. Despite the fact that 26 percent of the nation's population lives in rural communities, fewer than 10 percent of physicians practice in those communities. The Council on Graduate Medical Education estimates that there will be a nation-wide shortage of at least 90,000 full-time physicians by 2020. S. 901 increases appropriations for the current year by $4 million and $645 million over 2008-2013.
The Title III Programs, instrumental to coordinating care in rural areas, include the Rural Health Care Services Outreach, Rural Health Network Development Grants, Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement, Telehealth Network, Telehealth Resource Centers, Rural Emergency Medical Service Training and Equipment Assistance, and Mental Health Service Delivered Via Telehealth. S. 901 authorizes $175 million in funding for these critical programs over 2008-2013.
"S. 901 is a significant victory for rural America and it means significantly more dollars to protect the rural health care safety net, but more is needed," said Morgan. "As Congress understands the health care needs and disparities in rural America, we hope that funding for these vital programs will receive additional increases in the future."
The bipartisan bill, cosponsored by 74 senators, now must be reconciled with the previously passed House bill before it can be sent to the President's desk to be signed into law.
