U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on July 31 released her Rural Health Agenda to improve healthcare in underserved parts of rural America.
“These three pieces of legislation, which come directly at the request of small town mayors and community leaders, will fill gaps left by hospital closures,” Sen. Blackburn said on Aug. 1. “We need to make quality care accessible closer to home for rural America. The Rural Health Agenda targets areas that need improvement in order to meet that goal.”
The agenda is comprised of three Blackburn-sponsored bills: the bipartisan Rural America Health Corps Act, S. 2406, cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL); the Telemedicine Across State Lines Act, S. 2408, cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND); and the Rural Health Innovation Act, S. 2411, cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
“Tennesseans worry that as rural hospitals close, they will be left without access to health care,” said Sen. Blackburn. “It is imperative that we find an appropriate substitute for maintaining care in these communities.”
If enacted, S. 2406 would establish the National Health Service Corps Rural Provider Loan Repayment Program to ensure practitioners would be eligible for loan repayment on a sliding scale.
S. 2406 also would bolster the National Health Service Corps by creating a Rural America Healthcare Corps component that would help rotate health care graduates through underserved areas.
Meanwhile, S. 2408 would establish a national telehealth program and authorize a five-year grant program to spur the growth of telemedicine programs into rural communities. The measure also would authorize a new payment system to encourage the adoption of telemedicine.
“If the old models of care delivery no longer work in our rural communities, we need new models,” Sen. Blackburn said.
Lastly, S. 2411 would establish a rural health center innovation awards program and a rural health department enhancement program, according to the congressional record summary.
Under S. 2411, communities would be supported in establishing Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), which would serve the walk-in urgent care needs and operate as a triage center and staging facility for air or ambulance transports to area emergency departments.
S. 2411 would authorize two five-year grant programs. One would help establish FQHCs and RHCs via grants limited to $500,000 for existing facilities and $750,000 for startup facilities. The other would expand rural health departments to meet urgent care and triage needs with grants limited to $500,000.