Axios. Maya Goldman. October 2023. "Rural health providers have a long to-do list for Congress.
Driving the news: When the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee last month put out a call for ideas on shoring up rural America's fraying health care system, rural providers came prepared.
The National Rural Health Association sent a letter last week outlining actions Congress can take, ranging from enhanced support for staff retention at the poorest facilities to carveouts from some controversial policies strongly opposed by the broader hospital industry.
Why it matters: Eighty percent of rural areas in the country are medically underserved areas, while rural Americans tend to be older, sicker and poorer than their urban counterparts. Almost 200 rural hospitals have closed in the past two decades, and hundreds more are on the brink of financial collapse." Rural providers called on Congress for a number of important changes. Read more here.
