Access to quality and affordable health care remains among one of Congressman Walden's top priorities. As a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which has jurisdiction over health care related issues, and as co-chair of the bipartisan House Rural Health Care Coalition (RHCC), Congressman Walden is constantly working to improve Americans' abilities to receive and pay for quality care. The issue of accessibility in health care is extremely important for everyone, especially those with disabilities, the elderly, our children, expectant mothers, those with life-threatening diseases such as cancer or AIDS, and those who live in rural areas separated by long distances from the nearest medical facility.
Improving flexibility for rural hospitals so a patient is never turned away
On January 22, 2009, Congressman Walden joined Oregon Senator Ron Wyden to introduce bills in the House and Senate that would improve patient access to hospitals in rural, underserved areas of Oregon and across the nation.
The Critical Access Flexibility Act of 2009 would give small, rural hospitals greater flexibility in complying with federal regulations in order to better meet the needs of local residents and avoid the high cost of transporting patients to other facilities.
“Rural residents depend on Critical Access Hospitals for their health care,” said Walden. “No one, especially our veterans, should ever be turned away from access to quality health care when they are in need. I look forward to building upon the good work that’s been done in the House and Senate to get this solution across the finish line.”
Medicare’s Critical Access Hospital program ensures that rural communities have access to acute care and emergency services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In order to obtain this designation, hospitals must meet certain requirements, including one that there be no more than 25beds occupied by patients on a given day. Hospitals that exceed that amount have had to transport patients to other hospitals further from their homes and families.
The Critical Access Hospital Flexibility Act of 2009 would allow rural hospitals to avoid high, unnecessary transportation costs by giving them more flexibility in how they account for the 25-patient bed requirement. It would also exempt beds occupied by military veterans from the count.
The legislation has been endorsed by the National Rural Health Association, Providence Health & Services, Catholic Health Initiative, Oregon Association of Hospital and Health Systems (OAHHS), the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Critical Access Hospitals in Oregon include:
- Cottage Grove Community Hospital in Cottage Grove
- Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital in Lincoln City
- Providence Seaside Hospital in Seaside
- Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day
- Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach
- Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Heppner
- Wallowa Memorial Hospital in Enterprise
- Lower Umpqua Hospital in Reedsport
- Southern Coos Hospital and Health Center in Bandon
- Coquille Valley Hospital in Coquille
- Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria
- Good Shepherd Medical Center in Hermiston
- Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande
- Harney District Hospital in Burns
- Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in Hood River
- Lake District Hospital in Lakeview
- Mountain View Hospital District in Madras
- Samaritan Pacific Communities Hospital in Newport
- Peace Harbor Hospital in Florence
- St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton
- St. Elizabeth Health Services in Baker City
- Tillamook County General Hospital in Tillamook
- West Valley Community Hospital in Dallas
- Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Prineville
- Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital in Lebanon
Ensuring Access to Health Care for Rural Americans
On June 27, 2007, Congressman Walden and fellow RHCC co-chair, Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) unveiled the Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2007. H.R. 2860, which was introduced with 52 bipartisan co-sponsors, is a comprehensive bill that makes several improvements to our nation’s health care infrastructure. The improvements will help rural health care providers address the unique challenges associated with delivering quality health care close to home in rural areas like Oregon’s Second Congressional District.
The principles of the H-CARE Act:
- Authorize health information technology grants for rural practitioners.
- Provide flexibility in the number of beds Critical Access Hospitals are allowed to fill.
- Require prompt payment to rural pharmacies by Medicare prescription drug plans.
- Ensure adequate rural representation on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
- Establish a Rural Heath Quality Advisory Commission.
- Raise Rural Health Clinic reimbursements to more appropriately cover costs.
- Extend several expiring Medicare adjustment payments for rural practitioners including physicians practicing in physician-scarce areas, rural ambulance providers, rural home health agencies and specific classes of rural hospitals.
Rural caregivers and rural patients deserve a better partner in the federal government when it comes to the health of rural America. It is time that rural America stops being treated like a second-class constituency when it comes to issues like Medicare reimbursement. The H-CARE Act delivers commonsense solutions to obstacles that can inhibit the delivery of quality health care to millions of Americans.
To date, 14 national organizations have endorsed the H-CARE Act of 2007:
National Rural Health Association
American Hospital Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Ambulance Association
National Association of Rural Health Clinics
National Association for Home Care and Hospice
College of American Pathologists
Rural Referral Center/Sole Community Hospital Coalition
Federation of American Hospitals
American Counseling Association
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists
Association of Community Pharmacists
The Section 508 Hospital Coalition
American Mental Health Counselors Association
Grande Rhonde Hospital
