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Rural health care programs in fiscal cliff bill
There’s not been much talk about it but several rural health care programs were extended in the fiscal cliff bill passed by Congress that also extended the farm bill for one year. Garrett Hawkins, national legislative director for the Missouri Farm Bureau, tells Brownfield Ag News that the Low-Volume Hospital Program and the Medicare-Dependent Hospital Program have also been extended for a year.
“Both are really aimed at trying to help provide stability to small, especially rural hospitals and, ultimately, continue to have that access there to health care especially that’s so important to seniors,” says Hawkins.
The fiscal cliff bill also extended the Medicare Physician Payment provision which prevents reductions in Medicare payment rates and guarantees continued access for seniors to their doctors which Hawkins says most people are aware of.
While Hawkins says farm bureau members have concerns about the federal Affordable Care Act (‘ObamaCare’), rural health care needs to be part of the discussion.
“The health care debate is far from over and we should be having these discussions,” Hawkins tells Brownfield, “And, they’re important because as we talk about the federal deficit and the growing federal debt we need to figure out what the priorities are. And, for rural areas, having that access to health care is extremely important.” Hawkins says the Missouri Farm Bureau supports quality, affordable, accessible health care for all rural Americans.
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