Date: 1991-08-01
Speaker: CRAIG THOMAS (republican)
Chamber: H

and VIN WEBER. The legislative package we introduced in May of this year covers the full gamut of rural health concerns and. while ambitious. is also very realistic. both politically and fiscally. We did not introduce bills simply to make a political statement or to catch a newspaper headline. we introduced bills which should have a good chance of being implemented and. more importantly. of improving rural health care. With the supply. recruitment. and retention. of physicians in rural areas a top priority. the coalitions package includes several bills to address this concern. Dr. ROWLANDs Rural Physicians Incentives Act. H.R. 2230. would provide financial incentives particularly to young physicians practicing in rural areas. while his Rural Access to Obstetrical Care Act. H.R. 2229. would establish Medicaid demonstration projects to increase Medicaid participation of obstetrical providers in rural areas. In a related measure. H.R. 2231. JiM COOPER has introduced the Primary Care Training Amendments which would require. as a condition for receiving certain Public Health Service funds. that medical schools have Departments of Family Practice and require clinical experience in family practice. The fourth bill relating to physicians is RON WYDENs H.R. 2239. providing protection from legal liability to employees of Community and Migrant Health Centers. Relief to rural hospitals would be provided through Jim Slatterys Hospital Antitrust Fairness Act. which would assist rural hospitals attempting to merge. consolidate. or contract to provide a more rational supply of health services. his Rural Clinical Laboratory Personnel Shortage Act. intended to address potential clinical laboratory personnel shortages in hospitals and physicians offices. and my Medicare certification due process bill. which tries to ensure a safe and reasonable process that will prevent hospitals from being needlessly closed. Perhaps the single most important health concern in rural America is the question of access to services. Hospitals closing and doctors leaving pose a lifeendangering threat to a community. because with no health care. there soon is no business and no community at all. While virtually all of our bills address access to care in one way or another. the questions of access to care are specifically considered through GLENN ENGLISHS telecommunications bill. H.R. 2232. and his Leadership Education Act. H.R. 2236. as well as PAT ROBERTS Emergencies Air Transport Act. One area sometimes ignored in rural areas is that of mental health and substance abuse. GLENN POSHARD has introduced H.R. 2237 to direct the Office of Rural Mental Health to fund effective research demonstration projects for delivering basic mental health outreach services to rural Americans. In addition. CRAIG THOMAS H.R. 2235 would give States more flexibility in using alcohol and drug abuse funds. Other coalition initiatives address Issues such as sharing agreements between rural hospitals and the Veterans health care system. TIM PENNYs resolution. requiring the compilation and publication of better data on rural health care. and improving medical education demonstrations which tie rural hospitals to teaching hospitals. . Since introduction of these bills. the coalition has been busy In promoting them in the appropriate committees. working toward funding of rural health programs within the appropriations bill. sponsoring faceoff briefings on critical Issues for rural health care. and representing rural views to the administration on issues such as capital reimbursement and physician payment reform. The problems of rural health remain large. Speaking personally. my motivation to tackle those issues comes from the creative and caring spirit of Americans out across the country trying to make a difference in their own communities. the cooperation and congeniality of the members of this coalition. and the belief that. indeed. together we can do those things which will improve the country we love.