National Rural Healthcare Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, rural Georgians and rural Americans are older, sicker, and less likely to have health insurance than those in our cities. In fact, compared to urban areas, rural Georgians are nearly five times more likely to die early from cancer.

However, access to care is collapsing. Over 20 percent of rural counties in Georgia have no doctor or only one doctor, and 200 counties across America have no doctor at all.

When rural hospitals close, the community loses not only healthcare but jobs, restaurants, banks, and hope. When Southwest Georgia Regional Hospital closed, the nearest ER became 40 miles away, a life or death distance.

Rural healthcare is not just about hospitals and doctors. Clean drinking water, wastewater upgrades, and broadband are necessary for health and survival. Rural areas simply don't have the tax base to modernize these systems alone, so Congress must invest funding in rural development, energy, and healthcare to ensure they can thrive.

Mr. Speaker, rural health is not partisan. We must work together to make access to care a reality for rural Americans everywhere.

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