National Rural Health Month

Floor Speech

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Mrs. HARSHBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Rural Health Month and to highlight the work of the congressional Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, which I am proud to cosponsor with my colleague, Representative Tokuda from Hawaii.

Over 60 million hardworking, everyday Americans live in rural communities throughout the United States. As my co-chair, Representative Tokuda, is fond of citing, nearly 97 percent of our Nation is designated as rural.

Compared to their counterparts living in urban and suburban areas, rural Americans experience lower life expectancy, poorer health status, and more difficulty accessing quality and affordable healthcare.

Rural patients face these challenges due to a limited number of rural healthcare providers and professionals, higher rates of uninsurance and underinsurance, and long journeys to care providers, sometimes lacking transportation entirely.

Having served as a community pharmacist for over 30 years in east Tennessee, which is a rural area, I understand the unique healthcare challenges and obstacles faced by our patients and healthcare providers each and every day.

It is crucial that Congress takes action to address the issues that rural healthcare providers grapple with such as workforce shortages, supply scarcities, reimbursement challenges, limited access to telehealth, and difficulties ensuring their patients receive the care they need.

The congressional Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus is here to provide a forum for Members of Congress to advocate for legislative action that will help increase access to quality, affordable healthcare and mental health services for all rural Americans.

As co-chair, I will continue my work to advocate for legislation and policies that will ensure long-term sustainability of rural communities.

Earlier this year, I introduced the bipartisan Rural Physician Workforce Production Act, which improves Medicare reimbursement and enhances the current structure of the Medicare-funded graduate medical education program, bringing more medical residents and doctors to rural areas in need.

I also worked with my fellow colleagues from the Tennessee delegation to introduce the Rural America Health Corps Act, which would provide incentives for healthcare professionals to work in rural health facilities in exchange for forgiving medical student loans.

In addition to these bills, I am a proud cosponsor of the Save Rural Hospitals Act, bipartisan legislation that will aid in curbing hospital closures in rural communities by ensuring fairness in Medicare hospital payments.

This legislative work is absolutely critical and complements House Resolution 870, which I introduced with the majority of the Members of the Bipartisan Rural Health Caucus to support the goals and ideas of National Rural Health Day.

National Rural Health Day, the third Thursday of each November, was established to honor rural communities and the contributions and efforts of rural healthcare providers to address the unique challenges faced by the patients they serve.

Given the aforementioned healthcare disparities faced by rural Americans and the continued difficulty experienced by rural healthcare providers in keeping their doors open, it is vital that Congress prioritizes improved patient care and access in rural areas.

Our rural healthcare professionals and patients showcase a selfless and community-minded spirit. It is altogether fitting and proper that we celebrate rural healthcare providers and the millions of Americans that rural healthcare providers serve, and to express a commitment to advancing policy to improve healthcare accessibility and affordability in rural areas in our country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tokuda and my colleagues for joining in this cause.

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