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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 94595-94597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28225]



                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 230 / Friday, November 29, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 94595]]

                Proclamation 10863 of November 20, 2024

                
National Rural Health Day, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In America, health care should be a right, not a 
                privilege--no matter a person's zip code. On National 
                Rural Health Day, we show gratitude to all the health 
                professionals providing incredible care to the more 
                than 60 million people who live in rural America. And 
                we recommit to ensuring that rural communities have 
                access to affordable, quality health care.

                Too many people living in rural communities worry about 
                whether they can access and afford health care when 
                they need it. Rural Americans often have fewer health 
                care providers within reach, although they are more 
                likely to be older and have disabilities. Since 2010, 
                over 150 rural hospitals have closed down or stopped 
                providing in-patient care, putting a strain on local 
                economies and leaving families without a reliable 
                source of health care.

                I came into office determined to invest in rural 
                America--and that includes investing in rural hospitals 
                and health care. My American Rescue Plan delivered $8.5 
                billion to rural healthcare providers. This funding was 
                essential during the pandemic, helping to keep 
                hospitals and clinics operational when they were most 
                needed. My Administration also launched a Rural 
                Emergency Hospital designation to provide a new option 
                to some struggling hospitals, and the Department of 
                Health and Human Services has provided tens of millions 
                of dollars to expand health services and provide 
                assistance to hospitals facing financial distress. We 
                made historic investments of over $4 billion that can 
                be used to deliver telehealth to increase access to 
                health care services in rural and remote areas. The 
                Department of Health and Human Services also updated 
                regulations under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 
                to reduce discrimination in health care against people 
                with disabilities, including those living in rural 
                communities.

                Investing in the future of rural health care also means 
                training the next generation of providers. That is why 
                the Rural Emergency Hospital funds also provide funds 
                to train health care professionals to serve rural 
                communities, addressing both current and future needs. 
                Programs like the National Health Service Corps support 
                more than 3,700 rural behavioral health clinicians with 
                scholarships and loan repayment to meet the growing 
                needs of these communities. My Administration also 
                launched new programs to support the training of more 
                nurse midwives and more nurse practitioners with a 
                focus on maternal health in underserved and rural 
                areas. And our investments in the Delta region support 
                community-based organizations as they expand access to 
                and coordinate health services in rural communities in 
                the South.

                My Administration has also worked to lower the cost of 
                health care for every American. We expanded coverage 
                under the Affordable Care Act, reducing health 
                insurance premiums and saving millions of families an 
                average of $800 per year. My Inflation Reduction Act 
                finally beat Big Pharma, empowering Medicare to 
                negotiate lower drug prices for the first time in 
                American history. Medicare can now negotiate prices 
                with major manufacturers that treat everything from 
                blood clots to cancer. It also capped the cost of 
                insulin at $35 per month for people with Medicare. At 
                the same

[[Page 94596]]

                time, we are requiring drug companies to reimburse 
                Medicare if they raise prices higher than the rate of 
                inflation--saving seniors up to $618 on medication.

                My Administration has also been working to tackle the 
                health challenges impacting rural communities--from 
                improving maternal health care to addressing the mental 
                health crisis and beating the opioid epidemic. We 
                released a Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health 
                Crisis.

                We have expanded evidence-based home visiting services 
                and programs like Healthy Start, which support families 
                across the country, including in rural areas. We have 
                invested $535 million in rural areas to expand programs 
                that provide prevention, treatment, and recovery 
                services for mental health and substance use disorders. 
                Under our leadership, opioid overdose deaths are 
                decreasing for the first time in years. We have 
                provided tens of millions of dollars through the 
                Department of Agriculture's Farm and Ranch Stress 
                Assistance Network to connect vulnerable agricultural 
                producers and their families with increased access to 
                supportive services where they live and work. And we 
                released a national strategy to end hunger and reduce 
                diet-related diseases by 2030, which includes a pathway 
                to providing free, healthy school meals for all 
                children.

                Through the Biden Cancer Moonshot, we have also been 
                working hard to prevent cancer in rural communities, 
                detect it early so it may be easier to treat, and 
                connect people with world-class care, no matter where 
                they live. Tobacco is still the number one preventable 
                cause of cancer in this country and we have expanded 
                efforts to help people in rural America quit smoking--
                so they may never face a cancer diagnosis in the first 
                place. We have increased access to cancer screenings, 
                making them free and widely available to virtually 
                everyone in our Nation. And we have linked cancer 
                screening in rural areas with treatment from centers 
                with expertise, making sure high-quality care is 
                accessible to all.

                Across the country, American communities are writing 
                the greatest comeback story our Nation has ever known--
                creating and pursuing opportunities in their hometowns 
                and putting shovels in the ground while restoring pride 
                in their communities, in America, and in one another. 
                We must continue expanding access to affordable health 
                care for every American. On National Rural Health Day, 
                we recommit to ensuring every rural American has the 
                resources they need to stay healthy, care for their 
                well-being, and thrive.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 21, 
                2024, as National Rural Health Day. I call upon the 
                people of the United States to reaffirm our dedication 
                to the health and well-being of rural America.

[[Page 94597]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-28225
Filed 11-27-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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