OPINION:
Every American should have access to quality, affordable health care regardless of their zip code. The 66 million Americans who call rural America home are no exception. Over the past two decades, there has been a growing health care crisis in rural America, and Washington, D.C. has been slow in adequately addressing the problem. Fortunately, that is now changing thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress.
Over the last 20 years, nearly 115 rural hospitals have closed. While federal leaders have aimed to support rural hospitals and providers through special reimbursement programs and regulatory guidelines, these one-size-fits-all policies too often don’t consider the unique circumstances rural care facilities face. Many of these short-sighted “solutions” are well-intended, but they have failed to strengthen the quality and access to care rural America needs or to keep rural health care affordable. It is clear the country needs to pursue a different path.
This July, the tax cut legislation for working families passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump made the single largest investment into rural health care in decades. Together, we were able to allocate $50 billion through the Rural Health Transformation Program that will better position rural health care facilities to embrace innovative technologies while improving the way health care is delivered, strengthening health outcomes, and ensuring the health of rural Americans reaches its full potential. This investment will be life-changing for communities like the ones I represent across Kansas and will empower rural health care professionals to better meet the needs of the people they serve.
In addition to making necessary investments into rural health, Congress can and should continue to roll back regulatory burdens that stifle the quality of care in rural America. In September of this year, I joined Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, in leading 13 of our colleagues to introduce a bipartisan package of bills that make necessary modernizations to rural health care and remove limits to the care available through Rural Health Clinics. These simple changes allow more rural communities to set up Rural Health Clinics and deliver faster, improved care to patients. I’ve also worked across the aisle with Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., to expedite the licensure process for health care providers to address our nation’s health care workforce shortage. In rural America especially, hospitals and health care facilities face an even bigger challenge to recruit and retain health care providers. By giving state licensure committees the tools needed to determine eligibility through improvements like shared FBI background information, health care employers are more efficiently positioned to provide quality care.
Rural communities are unique. And although they may look vastly different from Kansas to Hawaii, New York to South Carolina, Alabama to Alaska, one thing remains true: The men and women who make up rural America deserve the same quality care available to the rest of the country. When a life-threatening tragedy happens, no American should be forced to lose hope in their ability to recover because of the population or size of their community.
Across the “Big First” District of Kansas, rural health care workers, hospitals, service providers, clinics, and community health centers serve as pillars in providing health services and lifesaving care to Kansans in rural communities. I am grateful for their commitment to their neighbors and proud to advocate on their behalf to ensure rural America has access to the highest quality care available.
While there is still work to do to remove red tape, increase telehealth services, and improve the quality of care that is available to rural America, I am thankful for the steps we’ve taken to improve rural health care during the 1st session of the 119th Congress. I am committed to continue working day in and day out to improve the quality of care available in rural America and to strengthen the health of all Americans.
• Rep. Tracey Mann has represented the “Big First” District of Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives since January 2021 and is a tireless advocate for Kansas agriculture and conservative Kansas values. He serves on the House Agriculture and House Transportation and Infrastructure committees.
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