National Rural Health Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join my colleagues today in highlighting the accomplishments and ongoing challenges facing access to high-quality healthcare in rural and remote parts of our United States.

Healthcare providers in areas like Michigan's First District work every day to provide the best possible care for patients while overcoming struggles unlike anything facing those in urban or suburban areas.

Unfortunately, we have seen a significant increase in rural provider closures, and many of those still operating today are doing so at the razor's edge of financial viability and stability.

In my own district, Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital ended all hospital and emergency room operations earlier this year and consolidated into a rural health clinic. A single provider closing their doors could result in patients having to travel hundreds of miles further to receive treatment, including lifesaving emergency care.

In 2020, Congress took an important step to address this crisis by creating the Rural Emergency Hospitals, or REH designation. Under this designation, rural hospitals receive direct financial support, more than $3 million annually, and increased Medicare reimbursement in exchange for maintaining 24-hour emergency departments, as well as observation beds and other key health services.

However, when Congress created this designation, REHs were not included as eligible facilities under the 340B drug discount program.

Mr. Speaker, 340B provides significant revenue for critical access hospitals and other rural providers, helping them improve access to prescription drugs and essential health services in underserved and underinsured areas.

This oversight has severely hindered the usefulness of the REH program and made it less likely for rural hospitals facing potential closure to keep their emergency departments open.

That is why I introduced H.R. 8144, the Rural 340B Access Act of 2024, along with my colleague from Michigan, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. This bipartisan bill will make a commonsense correction and include facilities under the rural emergency hospitals designation as eligible for 340B.

This will further our work to stop rural hospital closures and ensure patients in rural and remote areas can continue to receive essential emergency care. Our rural and remote health providers will continue to do everything in their power to provide top-of-the-line care to their patients.

In turn, Congress must continue to address rural health priorities and remove the barriers in the way of that future success.

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