Bill Increases Medicare Payments for RHCs, Provides Incentives to Attract Medical Professionals to Rural Areas
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ensuring that Americans in rural areas have access to quality health care, U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced the Rural Health Clinic Patient Access and Improvement Act of 2009, which addresses long standing underpayments to rural health clinics, introduces a quality improvement program to RHCs, and provides incentives to recruit and retain medical professionals to rural areas.
“There is a lot of talk in Washington about solutions to improve the nation’s health care system,” Barrasso said. “In the midst of this debate, I will not stand for rural Americans being left behind. The people of Wyoming need access to high quality, affordable health care just like everybody else. That is why I introduced legislation strengthening the nation’s 3,500 Rural Health Clinics. There are 19 Rural Health Clinics serving patients all across the Cowboy State. We need more. Wyoming does not have enough primary care providers to serve folks at home.”
“Oregonians in rural areas have the same right to quality, affordable medical care as those living in large urban areas,” Wyden said. “As Congress considers health reform, I will do everything I can to make sure the needs of rural Oregon are met. This bill strengthens rural health clinics, improving access to health care and helping to attract well-qualified medical professionals.”
The Rural Health Clinic Patient Access and Improvement Act will increase the all-inclusive Medicare payment rate for Rural Health Clinics by more than 20 percent per visit from an average of $76 to $92. Currently, rural health clinics are hamstrung by low reimbursement rates that pay them less than what it costs to deliver care. This legislation allows for better collaboration between community health centers and rural health clinics. It will also create a five-state demonstration project to determine whether medical professionals would be incentivized to practice in rural areas if RHCs subsidized a portion of their medical liability costs. These reforms will help ensure rural residents have access to the same level of quality care as those in other parts of the country.