RAHALL REPORT: Improving Rural Health Care Will Save Lives
From the desk of U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV)Representing West Virginia's 3rd District
Washington, D.C. (HNN) -- As a cancer survivor, I know first-hand the importance of early detection and treatment. I also know that for prevention and treatment to be most effective, top notch-medical services and access are paramount. That is why I have made and continue to make rural healthcare a priority.
West Virginians face a unique combination of factors, not found in urban areas, which create health care disparities. From traveling hours to the nearest health care clinic to significant shortages of practitioners, to inadequate reimbursement rates, access to care continues to be a challenge.
The Health Care Access and Rural Equity Act (H-CARE), which I am co-sponsoring, addresses these and other barriers to quality health care.
If passed, the H-CARE Act will mean the creation of a new Rural Community Hospital program, providing the option of Medicare cost-based reimbursement for inpatient and outpatient services for hospitals with 50 or fewer beds.
It will also require that Medicare Advantage plans pay Critical Access Hospitals at least as much as they would receive under the traditional Medicare program.
The legislation will authorize $140 million over five years for grants to rural providers to help with the cost of implementing health information technology like state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.
And finally, the legislation would re-authorize Rural Outreach and Network grants. These important programs provide capital investments so that rural communities can plan and launch innovative projects that build networks across providers, increase access to care, and are specifically designed to become self-sufficient.
This bill will go a long way toward stabilizing the elements of our Nation's rural health care infrastructure, but the work doesn't end there. Once we correct the deficiencies that jeopardize rural health care, we need to make sure West Virginians have the capabilities to get to these improved facilities in a shorter amount of time. Because, as we all know too well, a week, a day, an hour, a minute can make the difference when it comes to saving lives.
It has long been understood that improvements to our highways lead to improvements in our economy, but they are also key to preserving the health of our citizens as well. Each of the important highway projects currently under way in southern West Virginia will provide our citizens better access to medical facilities and our first responders easier access to medical emergencies. If it's easier for folks to get to health care (or to get health care to them), they're more likely to take advantage of it. And the more they take advantage of it the healthier they will be and the healthier West Virginia will be.
The third component to improving rural health care rests in our hands. Places like the Robert C. Byrd Rural Health Care Center at Marshall University are making great strides in improving care, but West Virginians must be willing to take advantage of the new technologies and advancements. We must take responsibility for getting ourselves, and our loved ones, the preventive care that saves lives. As many of you know, this month is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, followed by Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. What better time to get that mammogram or screening that you have been putting off?
There are approximately 10 million cancer survivors in the United States, with breast cancer and prostate cancer survivors making up the largest percentage of this group. These are encouraging numbers, but because many West Virginians still do not get regular screenings, our State's survival rates remain below national average.
Let's all do our part to change this. Let's do it for ourselves, for our families and for our future. Let's do in the halls of Congress and here at home. Let's start today.