Rural Health
The Challenge
|
Senator Murray addresses the challenges of
rural healthcare at a roundtable in Wenatchee. |
Senator Murray appreciates the vital role played by
Washington’s rural hospitals. As a member of the relevant committees
(Budget; Appropriations; and the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
Committee), Senator Murray is a key player in supporting rural healthcare.
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Legislation to Help Rural Hospitals
Supports the Full Market Basket Increase
Senator Murray has worked to provide relief from the Balanced
Budget Act. In 1999, she cosponsored the Balanced Budget Relief Act.
In 2000, she helped draft and worked to secure passage of the Medicare
Benefits Improvements and Protection Act. Both bills corrected inequities
for Critical Access Hospitals and Medicare DSH hospitals. This year,
Senator Murray continues to support the Full Market Basket Increase
for hospitals, including rural hospitals.
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Supports the Health Care Access and Rural Equity Act (H-CARE)
Senator Murray is an original cosponsor of this bill, which
was introduced in April 2003. Supported by the National Rural Health
Association, the H-CARE Act:
Addresses Medicare Disparities by:
- Establishing a Low-Volume Adjustment Payment for Small, Rural Hospitals
- Equalizing Medicare Disproportionate Share (DSH) Payments, which
are used to cover the costs of treating the uninsured
- Closing the Gap Between Urban and Rural “Standardized Payment”
Levels
- Improving the Wage Index Calculation, which accounts for hospitals’
labor costs
- Ensuring Rural Hospitals are Reimbursed Fairly for Outpatient Services
- Protecting Rural Hospitals’ Access to Independent Lab Services
Provides Resources to Meet Crucial Rural Health Care Needs
Builds on the Successes of the Critical Access Hospital (CAH)
Program with:
- Improved Payments for Ambulance Services provided to CAHs
- Increased Flexibility for CAHs to Allocate the use of Acute and
Swing-Beds
- New Incentives to Ensure 24-hour Access to Emergency On-Call Providers
- New Measures to Assure CAHs will Receive Timely Medicare Reimbursement
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Supports the Rural Health Training Incentive Act (S.1868)
All across the nation, rural areas are experiencing a shortage of
primary care physicians and health practitioners. In order to address
this festering problem, we must recruit students from rural communities
into the health professions and give medical students access to training
in rural areas. Research has demonstrated that 45 percent of family
practice residents who spend two months in a rural setting and 75 percent
of residents who train in for two years or more in a rural setting go
on to a rural community.
Senator Murray joined several of her colleagues in introducing the
Rural Health Training Incentive Act, which will award a grant to the
Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) joint medical
school to strengthen and expand existing programs that encourage more
health professionals to practice in rural areas.
Specifically, the grant will be used to:
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develop new mechanisms for recruiting and mentoring rural youth
with respect to all health professions,
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strengthen and stabilize the system of training for the family
physicians needed in rural areas,
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and expand the network of rural training tracks throughout WWAMI
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Supports the Nurses Reinvestment Act (S.AMDT 136 to H.J. Res.
2)
Senator Murray has been a strong supporter of addressing America’s
nursing shortage. Despite the overwhelming shortage of nurses throughout
America, our country’s nursing schools turned away more than 5,200
qualified applicants due in part to a shortage of nursing faculty. During
consideration of the Fiscal Year 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill, she
cosponsored an amendment that successfully increased funding for Nurse
Reinvestment Act programs by $15 million, to bring total funding to
$113.5 million for Fiscal Year 2003.
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Fighting for A Budget that Protects
Rural Hospitals
The current Administration has proposed eliminating or under-funding
several health programs that serve rural communities. Senator Murray,
as a member of the Senate Labor, Health & Human Services and Education
Appropriations Subcommittee, is working to restore funding for these
critical programs.
Save the Community Access Program (CAP)
CAP grantees help communities coordinate care for the uninsured and
hard-to-insure. Last year, Senator Murray successfully restored funding
needed for CAP to continue providing care, despite the Administration’s
attempt to eliminate the CAP program. Once again, Murray is fighting
against the Administration’s plans to eliminate the CAP program.
Invest in the Telehealth Program
This program provides direct assistance to rural providers to offset
the cost of telemedicine. In Fiscal Year 2003, the Administration proposed
cutting funding to $5.6 million, however, Murray was successful in obtaining
$27 million. Once again, the Administration is severely under-funding
crucial telehealth programs by proposing only $4 million. Senator Murray
believes this is largely inadequate and is fighting to obtain $44 million
in FY 2005 funding for this important health program.
Save the Rural Health Research Grant Program
This grant program provides funding to help rural communities and providers
find the most effective ways to provide care to rural patients. Despite
severe financial restrictions, Senator Murray was able to allocate close
to $9 million in Fiscal Year 2004, a great improvement over the Administration’s
meager request for under $6 million.
Save the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program
This program provides funding to help rural hospitals meet reimbursement
challenges, and is especially helpful for traditionally underserved
areas in Washington state. Despite the instrumental role that this program
has played in improving quality healthcare in rural areas, the Administration
eliminated funding for Rural Health Flexibility Grants in its Fiscal
Year 2005 budget.
According to the National Rural Health Association, the Administration’s
proposed cuts to programs in the Health Resources and Services Administration
are “the largest reductions to rural programs in more than 10
years.” Fortunately, Murray introduced an amendment to the budget
that successfully restored funding for this crucial program to Fiscal
Year 2004 levels.
Increase Funding for the National Health Service Corps
This program extends opportunities for health care providers in Health
Care Shortage Areas. Senator Murray is now working to increase funding
in Fiscal Year 2005 to $205 million, an increase of more than $30 million.
This increase will help medically under-served communities recruit and
retain health care providers to serve in their community.
Full Funding for the Health Professions Act, Title VII and
Title VIII
These programs offer support to individuals who seek an education in
various health professions, and have proven effective in producing an
increased number of health care professionals serving in underserved
areas. Without this funding, many families in Washington state would
not receive essential primary care services.
Despite their importance, the Administration has proposed $158 million
for all Title VII and Title VIII Health Professions programs –
a 64 percent reduction! At a time when our country is experiencing severe
shortages in nursing, primary care, pharmacy, public health, and other
health professions that are leaving many without access to care, Senator
Murray is fighting to increase funding for these important programs
to ensure the involvement of future generations of nurses and health
care professionals.