Visit our Circulation department for print subscription information. A big portion of our part of Texas is rural. But across the country, more and more people live in rural areas, which makes it all the more difficult for rural concerns to get much attention. A big portion of our part of Texas is rural. But across the country, more and more people live in rural areas, which makes it all the more difficult for rural concerns to get much attention.
Health care is a good example.
Small towns have always faced challenges in this area - from getting and keeping top quality doctors to making sure the care people need is not too far away. But in recent years, the challenges facing rural areas have only increased. It is critical that Washington take these kind of challenges into account when it set health care policy for the nation. A few years ago, for instance, Congress passed a Balanced Budget Act which made important reforms in Medicare. Among other things, it prolonged the life of the Medicare system, gave Medicare recipients more health care options, and added mammography screening and other preventive treatments to the list of services that were covered.