No matter where you live in the United States, health care is expensive.
In West Virginia, we are blessed with the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, gorgeous forests, and plentiful water, but these things can pose challenges to those who need medical assistance. They can also lead to even higher costs for care. Despite what the government or the medical giants may tell you, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all health care solution. For example, West Virginia and New York City have drastically different needs, and I’m working in Congress to advocate on behalf of our rural health care patients and providers.
As a member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, I often advocate for access to quality health care in rural areas. It’s clear to me that when rural health systems are overflowing, the rest of the health care system can become overwhelmed. To ensure the health care system remains helpful to patients, it is important to have enough staff to meet their needs. Due to a lack of resources, rural hospitals have more difficulty training nurses and doctors. That’s why it is critical that the government makes investments into the health care workforce. I introduced the Community Training, Education, and Access for Medical Students (TEAMS) Act to give medical students the ability to receive training in rural areas. This will enable them to better understand the challenges that may arise while serving in rural communities and provide them with opportunities to practice medicine alongside the rural workforce. The Community TEAMS Act will help remedy the workforce shortage that so many rural hospitals are facing. By training medical students in underserved areas of our country, we are laying the foundation for better health care in the U.S.
There are many heartwarming benefits to living in rural areas, but the lack of access to quality health care in the most rural of areas continues to be a challenge. In West Virginia, it can take hours to get to the nearest hospital. In a medical emergency, every minute counts. Due to the terrain of West Virginia, many of our hospitals qualify as Critical Access Hospitals. This means these hospitals are at least 35 miles from a health care provider and have 25 beds or less in their hospital. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid created the “mountainous terrain exception,” which allows hospitals in rugged areas to qualify as a Critical Access Hospital with only a 15-mile radius from another provider.
The “mountainous terrain exception” is critical in West Virginia, as we have the most mountainous Critical Access Hospitals in the country. Unfortunately, when the “mountainous terrain exception” was created, ambulance services were not included. This means that even though these mountainous Critical Access Hospitals qualify for the designation with a 15-mile radius, their ambulance services must still meet the standard 35-mile radius requirement. This is devastating for rural areas, like West Virginia, where in areas with no other ambulance provider, the ability for Critical Access Hospitals to provide ambulance services is absolutely lifesaving. The difference between 20 minutes and 2 hours is what saves lives.
I introduced a bill that fixes this issue by allowing Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas to receive fair compensation for their ambulance services. The Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites Act is life-saving legislation that will ensure Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas are compensated fairly for the ambulance services they provide to patients and positively impact rural communities across the nation. For a hospital to be able to receive these payments, they must be both a mountainous Critical Access Hospital and have no other ambulance providers within a 15-mile radius of their facility. It’s imperative that all patients, especially those of us who live in unforgiving terrain, can access emergency medical care.
In Congress, we see a lot of politicians talking about a problem that needs fixing, instead of actually taking steps to find a solution. The Community TEAMS Act and the PEAKS Act provide support to rural hospitals and ensure patients can access quality care. If these bills are signed into law, rural hospitals in West Virginia and across the country will receive the resources they need to succeed. These bills also aim to bridge the gap in health care disparities between urban and rural areas, ensuring that every American, regardless of their location, has access to lifesaving medical care. By addressing the unique challenges faced by rural health care facilities, we can strengthen the overall health care system and foster healthier communities.
